Living with the Greasers
by FanFiction by Jen
Summary: A series of extremely fluffy one shots that follows Emily, Angela, Jena, Rachel, and the gang through life's moments. This is a sequel to Welcome to the Sixties. Special thanks to my friend JoAnn for cowriting and helping me edit these chapters and my friend Sam for making yet another beautiful cover image.
1. Let's go! (Camp 1 of 6)

**I'm back! I'm going to try to post chapters on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.**

**This chapter takes place a year after the original story.**

Darry POV

"Mornin'." Jena yawned as she walked in the door. She sat down next to Sodapop on the couch and he rested his arm on her shoulders. Emily walked in right behind her and sprawled out on the floor. Rachel and Angela walked in after that and sat down on the floor with their backs against the wall.

"Now that we're all here, can someone tell me what the hell is going on?" Dally said impatiently.

"All right everyone." I said. Everyone turned towards me. "Summer's more than half over and we need to go out. We're going camping." Everyone stared at me and I put my thumbs in my belt loops and stared right back at them.

"Nope. Not going to happen. I'm not spending a week in the woods." Dally said, walking out of the house before we could try to convince him to come.

"Well I think that is an awesome idea." Angela piped up. I nodded gratefully to her. She looked over to her sister.

"Camping?" She asked simply, looking over at Angela, then Sodapop, then me.

"I think it sounds fun." Soda said, looking at Jena. The rest of the boys nodded their head.

"I suppose I could survive. It'll be a nice break from school and work." Jena laughed.

"School?" Two-Bit asked.

"Beauty school." Jena said simply.

"She's going to beauty school instead of high school." Angela explained further.

"Remember block head? Stick with the program." Emily said.

"Sounds fun to me." Rachel said excitedly.

"What do you think, Em?" I asked, watching as she struggled to sit up.

"Sure." She said simply. "When are we going?"

"Today."

"Thanks for the prior notice." Angela rolled her eyes. "Do we have everything to go?"

"We have two five people tents, and I all ready bought food for all of us. We have six sleeping bags, some tarps and blankets, you'll have to bring your own pillows and sleeping bags though and make sure to pack a lot of extra clothes." I said.

"All right, when do you want us back?" She asked.

"Be back by one so we can pack up and leave by two. The drive is only an hour in good traffic." I said. Angela got up and the girls followed her out the door and I could vaguely hear them talking about some of the things they need to buy.

"Now that that's settled, I'll bring the beer." Two-Bit said, getting up.

I stuffed the back Two-Bit's van with our camping things and sat down on the porch with a bottle of beer.

"Took you girls long enough." I said as Angela and her friends walked up our driveway.

"Sorry we're late. We had to run to the store." She said, looking around. "Where's everyone else?"

"In the house." I sighed as the girls and I put their stuff in the van.

"Did they help?"

"Nope." I double checked that everything was secure in Two-Bit's van and closed it. "Hey guys time to go!" I called through the screen door.

"Come on! Out of the way Johnny." Two-Bit called from inside. The boys tumbled out of the house onto the front yard. My brothers made it out unscathed but the rest managed to run into the either door or each other.

"Are you guys okay?" Rachel asked as Angela walked over to Johnny. Steve had run into Johnny coming out, accidentally knocking him into the porch rail. He seemed all right and smiled as Angela hugged him.

"I've been better. I've been worse." Steve said rubbing his arm.

"Are we ready to go then?" I asked.

"I suppose so. Where are we sitting?" Two-Bit asked walking between our vehicles

"Well your car is stuffed and ready for you to drive." I said.

"I'll be alone." He whined.

"You'll survive." Emily said pushing him toward his van. He wimpered but winked as he got in.

"Where are we sitting?" Rachel asked.

"In the back of Darry's truck." Ponyboy said, all ready hopping in. Rachel smiled and followed him.

"Is that going to fit all of us?" Jena asked.

"You can sit on my lap." Sodapop offered.

"I still don't think that's going to be enough room." Angela said. "We can't fit eight people in that truck bed."

"All right, someone can sit in front with me." I said. Angela put her hand on the passenger door.

"Does anybody care if I sit up here?" She asked. Everyone responded with various versions of no. She hopped up in my truck and I watched as the rest of the gang made themselves comfortable in the truck bed. Jena sat on Sodapop's lap to conserve space and they began whispering sweet nonsense to each other.

The driving was silent other than some yelps when we went over bumps. Angela and I looked at each other and laughed silently. Eventually we made it the camp site, with a Two-Bit coming in behind.

"Ouch, Jena. I think you made my legs fall asleep." Sodapop winced as he stretched.

"I'm sorry honey." Jena said, taking my brother's hand as he tried to stomp some feeling back in his legs. We all took our bags out of the van and began the short walk to our campsite.


	2. Setting Camp (Camp 2 of 6)

Rachel POV

"So who has the tents?" I asked. Darry, Two-Bit, and Angela came up and set the tents on the ground. "I'll set up one of them." I offered, taking the one that the girls and I bought for ourselves.

"I'll help you." Angela said quickly, coming to my side. Darry and Sodapop put up their tent and Two-Bit and Johnny attempted to put up the last one. Darry and Soda were done in ten minutes flat, but it took Angela and me a good half an hour to get ours up.

"Could someone give us a hand?" Johnny asked as we all lounged around the campsite. Angela nodded and helped Two-Bit and Johnny finish setting up their tent. I sat down under a tree at the edge of our site and began writing in my journal.

"Rachel, you're sitting in poison ivy." Jena said carefully. I squeaked and jumped out of my sitting position.

"Just follow that path and you'll come across the showers." Darry said handing me a towel. I nodded my head and sprinted down the dirt path. The "showers" was more of a shower head sticking about five and a half feet out of the ground. I sighed and turned on the water, quickly noticing there was no temperature control. I suppressed a squeal as the icy water hit my skin. I remained in the shower long enough for me to believe I got all the poison ivy oils off of my skin and then carefully dried off and put on some new clothes.

"Better?" Ponyboy asked as I returned to our site.

"Much."

"Let's go exploring." Angela said excitedly. We all nodded our heads and began walking through the woods. Angela was talking about the different tree species we walked past and smiling as if it were Christmas. Johnny looked at her in admiration and soaked in every word she said. Two-Bit and Emily were practically running through the woods together, teasing each other and laughing their heads off. Jena and Sodapop lagged behind the rest of us hand in hand, completely lost in their own little world. We continued exploring for what could have been hours, or simply minutes before Darry decided we should start making our way back to camp.

"You girls relax. We're going to get some firewood." Sodapop said as the boys left.

"I'm going to take a nap." Emily said quickly, crawling into our tent.

Angela sighed and began tidying up our things before she went in our tent for a nap. Jena sat in one of the foldable chairs with a book. I set out some bird seed and waited for some animals to come out that I could draw. Before long, a squirrel scampered over.

"Hello there." I said softly. The squirrel looked over at me and then returned to eating. I carefully began drawing an outline of it before it could run away.

"What are we having for dinner?" Emily's head popped out of the tent and the squirrel ran away. _Seriously?_

"We'll see." Jena said, returning to her book. I returned back to my drawing and enjoyed the peace and quiet around us.


	3. Burn Baby Burn! (Camp 3 of 6)

Angela POV

I look over the pile of logs, branches, and sticks that the boys gathered as I took a nap. I picked up one of the larger logs and set it in the metal fire pit.

"How did we do?" Johnny said coming up behind me.

"Great." I replied grabbing another log and setting up a teepee fire. I focused on building my fire as everyone began gathering around.

"What is that?" Steve asked about to poke the supporting log of my structure.

"Don't touch it!" I said swatting his foot away. "Darry can I have a section of this morning's paper?" He came back and I stuffed the paper into the center. I reached over for the matches and opened the box. "Can someone give me a lighter." I asked, throwing the empty box into the fire.

"Here you go." Ponyboy said taking out his lighter from his pocket. Two-Bit took it and handed it to me.

"Be careful." Jena said

"Don't burn yourself." Johnny whispered behind me. I smiled as I turned the wheel and the flame went up. I set the flame against the paper and watched it blaze into the center of my structure.

"It's always the quiet ones who are the pyromaniacs." Darry joked, admiring my fire. I rolled my eyes and Johnny pulled me up. I turned around to grab my poking stick and felt a burst of heat behind me and heard everyone scream.

"What the hell did you do that for!" Darry yelled behind me. I turned and saw everyone a couple feet away from the pit, glaring at Two-Bit.

"What happened?" I asked. Johnny put his hand on my shoulder so I didn't step closer.

"This dolt thought it would be a good idea to pour a whole beer onto your fire." Emily said pushing Two-Bit away from the fire.

"The beer was warm." Two-Bit said trying to defend himself. "Besides, bigger is better."

"Not always." Johnny said wrapping his arm around my waist. "Like Darry said, it's the quiet ones that offer big surprises."

Afterwards, I kept watch by the fire and Johnny helped keep it fueled. We took a break for dinner, sandwiches and chips, and Rachel pulled out suprise cookies for dessert. As it got dark everyone crowded around the fire for warmth. The moon shined above us and was eerily covered by whispy clouds as wind rustled in the trees.

"Seems like the perfect time to tell scary stories." Darry said as a strong gust flickered the fire.

"Ones that will set your hair on edge?" Sodapop asked, smiling.

"And will make your body turn to stone." Darry nodded, looking over at Ponyboy. He smiled back and leaned forward in his chair.

"This is gonna be good." He said under his breath. Another blow went through the trees dropping leaves around us.

"Many campers visit this ground, but very few dare to stay at site twenty three." Darry began ominously.

"Isn't that our site?" Rachel asked. He continued, not even acknowledging her question.

"For nearly a three decades ago, one family came."

"But never returned home." Sodapop said, letting the words hang like smoke. "The family pulled up and set up their tent. The sun shining high in the sky."

"As they prepared for dinner, an old man came from the woods. He wore a thick, burly coat that was torn at the edges and a soiled hat. He removed his cap, his hair resembled spider webs on top of his head."

"Pardon me." Ponyboy joined in, voicing the scraggly man. "Do you happen to know the way to the drugstore?"

"'No sir.' The father said to the old man. He stared at the family, his hands tightening around his cap."

"All right then." Ponyboy said, a wide grin on his face. He tilted his head sligthly and his eyes stared unchanging at Steve. He had been uninterested in the story at first, but now shuffled in his seat and tried not to look at Ponyboy.

"The family continued their meal and set up a warm fire as the sky grew darker. Soon the entire sky was deathly black, the stars and moon covered by the trees and clouds." As Darry finished, the clouds completely covered the moon and light flashed across his face from the fire. Johnny shuffled his chair closer to me and I took his hand, not even realizing I was shaking myself.

"Papa, what's over there?" Sodapop shouted, making even me jump.

"The child pointed to the edge of their campsite." Sodapop pointed behind Rachel, terror gripping his face. " As the family peered into the darkness, a faint light came out of the forest. They hear a twig snap as the light came closer and take form of a long silver knife blade." Jena squeaked and Emily rolled her eyes at the story.

"'Who's there?' the father called as the blade continued to approach them. The clouds disappeared above them to reveal the old man walking in the the woods. He gripped the blade in his right had and his face was demonic. His eyes were red from the fire light and his mouth curled into a wicked smirk."

"Do you know the way to death's door?" Ponyboy asked, lifting his fist as if holding the knife.

"Aaaahhhhh!" Sodapop let out a bloodcurdling scream and Jena involuntarily joined in. I screamed as well and soon everyone was screaming around the circle.

"Let me help you!" Ponyboy shouted above our screams. We quieted down enough for Darry to continue, but I could feel my heart racing.

"He lunged at the family, burying the knife into the father's chest. The mother screamed as blood gushed out of his heart and spurted onto the old man. The man removed his knife, now glistening from the sticky fluid in the firelight. She screamed again and he went after her, slitting her throat and tossing her at the body of her husband. The boy tried to run but he wasn't fast enough. The knife imbedded into his flesh before he could even breach the camp site. As the boy fell to the ground, the old man tore his knife from the boy's back. He walked over to the fire and lifted his knife again."

"The heart of a killer does not beat." Ponyboy said dispassionately, sending shivers down my spine.

"As he collapsed dead, blood pooled around him and trickled down into the fire, hissing like the screams of all those he's killed. When news came out, the town dubbed him the Greenleaf Slasher."

"And some say," Sodapop joined in, "on clouded nights, you can still see him wandering the woods with a red knife in his grip." None of us spoke when he finished. Suddenly, a crisp twig snap cut through the silence.

"What was that?" Jena whispered worriedly.

"Probably just a wild animal." I replied gripping Johnny's hand slightly.

"Or the Greenleaf Slasher." Two-Bit said eerily. Jena nuzzled into Sodapop slightly.

We heard some more rustling and a shadowy figure emerged from the woods. Jena screamed and flung herself behind her boyfriend. I leaned closer into Johnny.

"What's going on here?" A familiar voice asked. Jena remained hidden behind Sodapop.

"Hey, Dal. I thought you weren't coming." Steve said scooting over so Dally could join us.

"Tulsa was too boring, man. What's wrong with her?" Jena was still cowering behind Sodapop and peeked out from behind his shoulder. She nervously giggled and sat back down next to her boyfriend.

"Where do you come up with such a story?" Rachel asked admiringly at Ponyboy. He smiled and looked at Darry.

"Dad would always tell creepy stories when we went camping."

"You call that creepy?" Two-Bit yawned. "I've got one ten times better."

"I'd like to hear that." Emily said sarcastically.

"Maybe another night." Johnny and I said simultaniously.

"I agree." Jena quickly added. Sodapop patted her hand and yawned slightly. "I agree with that too." She yawned. They got up and Sodapop walked Jena to our tent. She kissed him and blew a kiss as she went into the tent and then he walked to his.

"Yeah, we should all rest up. We've got a big day tomorrow." Darry said standing up.

"All right." Ponyboy sighed. He leaned over and kissed Rachel's cheek and went to the tent. She and Emily quickly walked to our tent and Two-Bit and Steve shoved each other to theirs. Dally sighed, annoyed.

"We've got a spare sleeping bag in our tent." Johnny said getting up. I broke apart the coals of the fire as Johnny came back with the bag. Dally took it without a word and set it on the ground in the center of our site. I tossed some water to put out the fire and watched the steam float into the sky. I felt Johnny's hand slip into mine and we stood there, the sounds of the night echoing around us.

"Good night." Johnny whispered kissing my hand.

"Good night."


	4. Take a Dip (Camp 4 of 6)

Emily POV

"Emily, go canoeing with me." Two-Bit said, heading towards the dock.

"I think I'll pass on this one." I said.

"I'll go with you." Jena offered, setting down her book. She followed Two-Bit to the canoe and they began rowing out. The rest of us returned to our game of volleyball. I could vaguely hear Jena giggling at one of my boyfriend's ludicrous jokes.

"AHHHH!" We all turned and saw Jena falling out of the boat and Two-Bit laughing. He began rowing away as she splashed around a little bit. We continued watching her try to right herself, but she kept going underwater.

"SHE'S DROWNING!" Darry yelled, diving into the water. Angela, Sodapop, and I followed after him and Two-Bit turned around the boat to try to save Jena. He held out one of his oars and she grabbed it. He pulled her closer to the boat and helped her back in. We all swam back to shore and waited for Two-Bit and Jena to return to shore. As soon as Two-Bit docked the boat, Sodapop and Angela sprinted over to Jena. Angela rested her fingers on Jena's wrist to check her pulse. After she finished Sodapop lifted Jena out of the boat and set her on a towel and gently rubbed her back as she coughed up some water from her lungs.

"Sorry. I didn't know that would happen." Two-Bit said to Jena. _At least he apologized._

"It's fine." Jena said simply.

"Why didn't you just swim back to the boat?" Dally asked, rolling his eyes.

"I can't swim." Jena admitted, looking ashamed.

"Well it's time that we teach you." Darry said pulling Jena to her feet. All of us got in the lake and did our best to try to teach our friend to swim.

"I'm not going to let you drown. Just lean back and trust me." Darry said while holding Jena in the water. She leaned back, keeping her eyes on him. "I'm going to let go of you now, and you're going to float. All right?" Jena bolted upright and wrapped her arms around his neck. "We're all right here. We won't let anything bad happen to you." Jena squeezed her eyes shut and nodded her head, leaning back again. As Darry let go, her body sank slightly in the water, but she was still able to float.

By the end of the afternoon, we were able to teach Jena to float and dog paddle decently, and we decided to call it a day on the swimming lessons.

"So can I ask why you decided to push Jena in?" I asked as Two-Bit and I dangled our feet off the dock.

"You can ask me." Two-Bit said, reaching for my hand. I pulled it away slightly, so he just rested his hand on my leg.

"Why?"

"I thought it would be funny. If I knew she couldn't swim I wouldn't have done that." Two-Bit said, looking out into the water.

"Want to go out on the boat?" I asked.

"That sounds good." He said, grabbing my hand. "And I won't push you off." He laughed, helping me into a rowboat. I rolled my eyes and he got in and took the oars. "Where to m'lady?"

"To the colors of the setting sun." Two-Bit nodded and rowed to the center of the lake. I let my hand skim the water and we looked back at our friends. Rachel and Ponyboy were wading by the shore. Darry was reading a magazine on a towel. Jena, Sodapop, Angela, and Johnny were playing chicken. _Where did Steve and Dally go?_ The boat began to rock violently, and I began to get an idea on where they were.

"Quit it." I hissed, leaning over and shoving Steve's head further underwater.

"Well what else were we supposed to do?" Steve sputtered, emerging from the water.

"Nothing else was going on." Dally added, also emerging from underwater.

"Well you can go away now." I sighed.

"Not before Two-Bit kisses the girl." Two-Bit and I rolled our eyes and pecked each other on the lips. Steve and Dally swam away and Two-Bit and I continued rowing around. After a while, we headed back to shore and began walking back to camp with the rest of the gang.


	5. Out at Night (Camp 5 of 6)

Jena POV

"Sodapop, why don't we turn back? It's going to get dark soon." I asked as we breached the trees.

"Exactly. Now close your eyes." Sodapop said putting his hands over my eyes. I sighed as Sodapop lead me to I don't know where. "All right, open!"

"Oh Soda." I gasped as we stood at the edge of the hill looking at the setting sun. I leaned in on Sodapop and he wrapped his arms around me.

"Happy anniversary baby." He whispered into my ear. As the sun disappeared behind the horizon, we headed back into the woods to meet back with the gang. However, we soon felt as though we were going in circles.

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" I groaned as we passed the same tree for the fourth time in one hour.

"No." My boyfriend finally admitted. I sighed for the millionth time that evening and sat down on a nearby log.

"We'll find our way back eventually." He said, looking up at the moon.

"You said that half an hour ago." I put my head in my hands.

"Well what do you want me to do? We have to find our way back. We can't just stay here for the rest of eternity." Sodapop grabbed my hand and pulled me off the log. We walked for another fifteen minutes and seemed to be making some progress before I tripped over a branch.

"Ouch! Damn it!" I squeaked, grabbing my ankle.

"Are you all right?"

"My ankle." I groaned.

"Can you stand?"

"I can try." Soda helped pull me up, but it couldn't stand for long before collapsing into him.

"You've got to be kidding me." He muttered under his breath. "Hop on." He sighed, bending down so I could get on his back.

"Je suis désolé." I murmured in his ear as we got back to walking. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not mad at you. I just wish we took Darry's advice and brought markers." Soda sighed.

"Hey, you had a really good idea of exploring, and neither of us realized this trail had so many different ways we could go." I said nuzzling into his neck. I looked in front of us and saw a faint light. "I think that's the fire." Sodapop picked up his speed and we finally reached camp.

"What took you two so long? We were about to send a search party." Angela remarked as we approached her.

"We got a little lost." I said sheepishly as Sodapop set me down next to Steve.

"Darry? Where did we put the first aid kit?" Sodapop asked, walking toward the tents.

"It's in our tent. Why?" Darry looked from me to Sodapop and back again.

"Jena hurt her ankle on our walk back." I began untying my shoe, noticing that my ankle was all ready swelling.

"It's not broken, is it?" Angela asked immediately, coming closer to me.

"No. Just sprained probably." I said as Sodapop returned with an ace bandage. He handed it to me and I began wrapping my ankle. "It should get better with rest." After I finished I sighed, bored. You can only spend so many nights sitting in front of a fire. Two is my limit. Angela must have noticed my expression as she smiled.

"Let's make s'mores!" She said as she produced a bag of marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers.

"I've got the cooking sticks." Johnny said pulling out the metal skewers from the bag at his feet. Everyone walked over and took a stick and marshmallow. Afterward Angela and Johnny made an assembly line for everyone's s'mores.

"Two-Bit, must you burn every marshmallow you cook?" Emily asked, looking over as Two-Bit pulled out a flaming marshmallow from the fire.

"I can't help it. The s'more gods just hate me." He replied blowing out the flame. Emily rolled her eyes and gave Two-Bit yet another new marshmallow. Dally grabbed a bottle of beer from the cooler and opened it with his teeth. He had ditched the thought of making s'mores after he burned the first marshmallow.

"Here." Angela said to him, giving him a s'more. He grunted and took it from her. Rachel and Ponyboy were reading by the light of the fire.

Sodapop came back over with two completed s'mores and handed me one. As the gooey marshmallow oozed in my mouth, I basked in the warmth of the fire and of everyone being together.


	6. On the Road Again (Camp 6 of 6)

Johnny POV

"Is that everything?" Darry asked as he squeezed the last suitcase in Two-Bit's van.

"I think so." Angela surveyed the campsite.

"All right, well, who is riding where?" Darry asked as Two-Bit and Dally got in their vehicles.

"Angela, sit in the back with us." Jena begged.

"I think I'll pass." Angela said.

"Please?"

"I'm perfectly happy in the front." Angela responded.

"Come on, I think it would be fun." I tried.

"No." Well that's that then.

"Pretty please with cherries on top?" Jena implored, getting on her knees in front of Angela.

"Really Jena?" She asked getting impatient.

"Come on Angela. Why don't you act your age for once? Quit being such a worrywart." Sodapop tried.

"You stay out of this."

"Please?" Sodapop asked trying to do puppy dog eyes.

"I said no! Now if you'll excuse me..." Angela walked over to the passenger door and opened it only to be faced with Steve sitting in the front seat. "Okay. Move." Angela said through gritted teeth.

"No. There's no way in hell I'm going to go through that bumpy ride again." Steve responded, shutting the door and locking it. Angela let out a groan of frustration.

"Fine! I'll ride with Dally." Angela said, turning around.

"That's not really a good idea." I tried to say. However, Angela's plan was all ready ruined because Dally sped away before she made it over to his car.

"Are you kidding me?" She exclaimed covering her face with her hands. I went over and put my hand on her shoulder and she sighed as I turned her back around. Darry got in the drivers seat and we all made ourselves comfortable in the truck bed. Angela huffed slightly as she took her seat between me and Sodapop and Jena.

"Hey it's roomier." Ponyboy joked as we headed off.

"So it's easier to fall out." Angela muttered. However, she eventually wasn't as hostile to the situation as she was before. She even began laughing at the funny stories we were telling. I looked over at Jena and found her curled against Sodapop, sleeping. At least, until we went over a giant pot hole. Rachel caught some air as we went down, and Angela wrapped her arms around me as we hit the pavement again. I looked over and she laughed as we all recovered.

"Come on." Jena groaned as she nuzzled into Sodapop again.

"I'm surprised you could fall asleep in the first place." Emily commented.

"She can fall asleep anywhere. Remember when she fell asleep when she was getting her blood drawn?" Rachel laughed.

"She did not fall asleep, Rachel. She fainted." Angela said. "You know how she is with needles."

"Oh quit it." Jena laughed softly, shifting in position a little.

"It's going to be tough getting back to a regular schedule once school starts. We were only gone four days and I already can't remember what a hot shower feels like." Ponyboy joked putting his arm around Rachel.

"Don't put your arm on me!" She joked back swatting him slightly.

"I know what you mean." Angela added. "I'm going to have to start balancing work and college classes soon."

"You'll be able to handle it." I assured her.

"I just hope that Two-Bit doesn't interrupt me at work every week again because you guys won't be able to occupy him." Emily said and we all laughed. No one talked for a while after that and we eventually started looking for shapes in the clouds until we pulled into the Curtis's drive with Two-Bit right behind us. We all hopped down from the truck and Soda stumbled forward a few steps.

"Damn it, Jena. You made my legs fall asleep again." He said, trying to grab her shoulder for balance.

"You could have made me move." Jena sighed, grabbing the girls' things.

"You looked so peaceful though..."

"Then you have no room to complain. I would have moved."

"I think I'm going to take a nap when we get home." Angela yawned.

"I second that." Rachel said.

"All right then, I'll make dinner. You girls can sleep when we get home." Jena decided as they began walking down the driveway to their house.


	7. Late Night Up

**December 1966**

Darry POV

"Hey, Darry. Mind if I crash here for the afternoon? The girls are all working and Ponyboy has track." Rachel said as she set her school bag on the floor by the couch.

"Sure."

"Thanks. I have a lot of work to do, so do you mind if I use the kitchen table?" Rachel began unpacking a few notebooks and textbooks.

"Go ahead. I'll stay out of your way." She set her things down on the table and her face turned to one of deep concentration. After several hours, I figured she would be hungry so I heated up some leftovers for her to eat.

"You've been at this for a while. How about you take a break and eat?" I asked Rachel, putting the plate of food in front of her. She set aside her history textbook and notecards and began eating.

"Civil War?" I asked, leafing through the book.

"Yeah, and I can't keep any of it straight." She sighed. "I have a test on it on Monday."

"Finish eating and then I'll help you." I began looking through her notecards. _This isn't too bad. General Lee, Gettysburg._

"Okay, so I need to know everything on the flashcards and the review questions at the end of each section." Rachel said, pushing her empty plate away.

"Okay. I'll start off easy. How long did the Civil War last?"

"Four years." Rachel answered immediately.

"What were the two opposing sides?"

"The Union and the Confederates."

"Which states were a part of the Confederates?"

"South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and Texas." Rachel answered. "I know these, I'm mostly confused about battles and dates."

"All right. What battle started the Civil War?"

"Fort Sumter."

"When did it take place?"

"April of 1861." I continued quizzing Rachel, and by the end of our session, she knew almost everything.

"Thanks so much!" Rachel said happily.

"You're welcome." The door slammed shut and Ponyboy walked in.

"Hey, Darry. Hi, Rachel." Ponyboy said as he walked through the kitchen. He then did a double take. "Rachel? What are you doing here?"

"Studying." She said simply as she gathered her things. "Thanks again for the help, Darry."

"No problem." I said as she packed her things into her backpack and began walking home.


	8. Turning 18

**March 1 1967**

Angela POV

I checked my watch anxiously and then returned to looking out the window.

"Angela, get back. He might see you." Steve called behind me. I closed the curtain and went back to tidying up the ever cluttered Curtis living room.

"I can't believe that three of our gang is turning eighteen this year." Jena said excited, knowing she was one of those three.

"Yeah you better pull out all the stops for me next month if you're doing this for Johnny." Steve added.

"You happy that Johnny's turning legal now?" Dally asked me, pulling out some beer. I ignored him and grabbed Sodapop's pile of clothes.

"Hey. Catch." I called over and tossed the clothes at him. He turned and tossed them somewhere else on the floor.

"His names not Catch. That's Sodapop." Two-Bit joked, setting down his own set of beer next to Dally's.

"I see him!" Rachel called, racing down the steps and nearly into Emily.

"We spotted him through our look out." Ponyboy said following Rachel down.

"You mean your bedroom window?" Darry asked. I looked at Rachel and she smiled. For sixteen year olds they still have great imaginations.

"Yeah and he's just down the street. Hide!" Ponyboy said, jumping into the kitchen. We all got ready in our hiding spots as Darry turned the lights off. I slipped behind the couch but peeked my eyes over for when Johnny walked through. As my eyes adjusted I heard nothing. _As usual._ Johnny could sneak up on anyone without even meaning to. All was still until the screen door squeaked open and I saw Johnny walk in.

"Guys?" He asked flipping the switch.

"Surprise!" The boys hollered, making Johnny jump out of his skin._ I knew a surprise party wouldn't be a good idea._ I stood up and smiled at Johnny as he looked over. He registered nothing and walked to the couch. _Is something up?_

"Happy eighteenth birthday Johnny-cake!" Darry said setting down his signature chocolate cake with a one-eight candle in the middle.

"Happy Birthday to you!" Jena started singing as she stood next to Sodapop.

"Happy Birthday to you!" Everyone else joined in. "Happy birthday dear Johnny. Happy birthday to you!" Everyone started cheering and clapping but Johnny didn't look up at any of them or even blush from the attention. _Something is definitely up._

"Yeah. Happy birthday to me." He said, still registering no emotion. _I can't take it anymore._

"Johnny? Is there something wrong?" I asked, setting my hand on his leg. He lifted his left arm from his side and opened his fingers. In his palm rested a neatly folded piece of lined paper. He turned my hand over and dropped the piece in it. I opened the paper, revealing a letter. My heart sank as I read it.

"What is it?" Dally asked, concern touching his voice. I looked over at Johnny and he nodded his head despondently.

"Dear maggot," I swallowed and made myself continue, "Glad we never made another mistake like you, you good for nothing kid. We think your eighteen, which means we can ditch this joint. If not, what does it matter anyway, we're already gone. We left the house for the Government to take (the only good thing they'll do for us). There might be some junk left over so you don't die too soon. Not like living will do us any good."

I stared at the paper until Steve grabbed it from my hands. I watched his eyes as he read it over once, then twice, with the rest of the gang looking over his shoulder.

The girls glanced between Johnny and the boys as they still stood looking at the cruel letter.

"They can go straight to hell" Two-Bit hissed, a few tears forming in his eyes.

"They never did anything for you." Dally said, his knuckles white from clenching his fists.

"Good riddance." Darry said under his breath. It always sickened him how Johnny's parents could not even care for him, and this was the lowest blow they could deliver. The rest of the gang subtlely nodded their heads.

I looked at Johnny and he stood up, still not having said a word since after we sang. We all waited to see if he would say something.

"Johnny?" Emily asked as he walked past, back out the door.

"Oh God." I quickly got up and followed him. "Johnny." I called as the door closed behind me. I sighed relieved when he stopped and I slowly walked to him. He didn't turn around and stared in the direction of his house. "I'm sorry Johnny." I croaked, trying not to cry for him.

He finally turned around, his eyes wide, confused, and hurt.

"¿Por qué Angela?" I gulp as he asked me. He almost never spoke Spanish unless I spoke it or he was really emotional.

"No sé por qué Johnny." I wrapped my arms fully around him, mentally absorbing his pain._ I don't know. _I felt his arms move from under me and drape around my shoulders. "But I'm always here for you. And so is the gang." I affirmed, tightening my arms around him. His arms dropped from me and I let go. We faced each other, quiet. "What do you want to do?"

"Let's go back inside." I nearly leapt for joy as he gently smiled and took my hand. As we walked back into the Curtis house everyone sighed. I looked over at Dally who wiped a tear with his leather jacket. _Ponyboy's right. Johnny is only what Dally loves._ Jena came up and gave Johnny a hug and everyone followed suit.

"I'm sorry Johnny-cake." Darry said as he rested his hand on his shoulder. Johnny nodded his head and squeezed my hand. I squeezed back, ensuring him I was still here.

"Well Johnny, would you like some cake?" Rachel asked as we sat back on the couch.

"Or head straight for the beer?" Two-Bit said, already tossing over a bottle to him.

"Maybe later Two-Bit." He said, putting the bottle on the table. "And cake sounds wonderful." He said, gently smiling again.

"You need to blow out the candle." Jena piped before Rachel cut into it. He sighed looking at the candle, already a quarter of the way melted. With a puff he blew out the candle and we all started eating.

"So Johnny-cake," Steve said, his mouth full of chocolate, "what did you wish for?"

"You know you can't tell everyone what you wished for Steve." Rachel said, opening a bottle of Pepsi.

"Glory if the boy's eighteen that means that rule doesn't apply to him anymore." Dally said, taking a swig of beer.

"Well it's up to him if he wants to tell." Sodapop said with his mouth full of cake. We stared at Johnny intently.

"I think I'll keep this one to myself." Johnny said, cracking a small smile. I nodded my head, understanding. I've never told anyone my birthday wishes either.

We talked and laughed for the rest of the afternoon. The party started to disintegrate when Jena, Sodapop, and Steve had to leave for their jobs. Afterwards Rachel and Ponyboy decided to walk to the movies with Emily and Two-Bit.

"So Johnny, what do you think you'll do for the rest of your birthday?" I asked as we helped Darry clean up.

"Do you want to stay over tonight?" Darry offered as he tossed the used plates.

"Thanks Darry but I'm not sure." He said, looking toward his house again out the window.

"How about you come over to my house for the night." I said, taking his hand.

"I think that sounds good." He smiled as he turned around and squeezed my hand.

"All right. You two be safe walking." Darry called as we headed out the door. We walked in silence as we tracked back toward my house, every once in a while pressing on each other's hand.

"Feliz Cumpleaños Johnny." I whispered at the crosswalk, squeezing his hand again. _Happy Birthday._

"Sí, es muy feliz." Johnny lifted my hand in his and softly kissed it. I wrapped my free arm around his and held to him tight as the light turned, allowing us to cross the street.


	9. Graduation

**May 1967**

Rachel POV

"I'm so proud of you." Jena said as soon as I walked out of my room in my cap and gown.

"Thanks." I tried to dodge Jena coming at me with lip gloss. "Honestly, Jena, I don't need to reapply that stuff every fifteen minutes."

"Just keep it in your purse or something." She sighed, handing over the tube. I put it in my small clutch and followed Angela, Jena, and Emily out to the car. We drove out to Will Rogers High School and met up with the Curtis family.

"You look nice." I commented, observing all my boyfriend's cords and medals. Sodapop gave Jena a hug and a peck on the lips.

"So do you. Come on, we should go inside and line up." Ponyboy said, grabbing my hand and leading me into the school. The process of lining up took a while, even though we had done it three times before during the rehearsal and were told to memorize the people directly in front of and behind us. Finally, I could hear the first few measures of Pomp and Circumstance, and I knew it was time to start walking.

We listened to speeches from the superintendent, Principal, and Vice Principal. They were the classic you have your whole future ahead of you speeches and I didn't listen that closely to them.

"And now, the class valedictorian, Ponyboy Curtis, is going to say a few words." I watched as Ponyboy emerged from the wings of the stage, and stood up at the podium.

"We stand here today on the precipice of the future. It's not a distant reality anymore. It begins here. It begins today. We began high school as children, but we're leaving here as adults. We've completed a basic education that will serve as the platform we use to launch ourselves into our futures. Some of us will go on to college, others will go straight into the workforce, but each of us will travel our own path. No matter where we go or what we do, there are challenges ahead of us. What I'm asking from each of you, and from myself, is to meet those challenges straight on with your head held high and your heart wide open. It's not enough to simply try to get by in life. That doesn't move the world forward. You must try to excel in everything you do; strive for excellence in every task, large or small. Although it may not be easy to see, every accomplishment you achieve is added to the world's accomplishments. Your individual successes benefit society as a whole because when you succeed, you lighten the burden on your fellow man. When you succeed, you are in a position to give rather than take. Imagine if every individual lived up to his or her own potential. Think about how amazing that would be, and how much better off the world would be. Now imagine if just half of those individuals lived up to their potential. The world would still be an awesome place. If even 1/4 of those individuals worked to make their lives successful, they could still make some amazing contributions to society. Well, we may not have the power to inspire the entire world to strive for success, but we do have the power to try to achieve it for ourselves. My challenge to each of you, and to myself, is to do all that you can do to reach your full potential. If each of the two hundred students in this graduating class is able to do that, just imagine the effect that would have. The future is truly in our hands, so let's make the most of it. Thank you." Ponyboy waited for the applause to end and then took his seat.

"And now we will listen to a few words from the salutatorian..." I had stopped listening again, and my nerves came to an all time high. Finally, it was time to receive our diplomas, and I listened as Mr. Minier read off our names.

" . . . Leah Cisco . . . Ponyboy Curtis . . ." I could hear clapping behind me, and someone whistled. _Probably Sodapop_. "Alexandra Jackson. . ." Finally, I got out of my seat and stood back stage. "Adam Smith . . . Rachel Tuba . . ." I walked across the stage and received my diploma. I shook hands with the superintendent, principal, and vice principal, and then walked off stage.

"Congratulations Class of 1967." We all threw our caps into the air, some of us caught them, but others probably will be looking for theirs for a while. We all walked back up the aisle to Pomp and Circumstance and I walked straight into Angela's embrace.

"Congrats Grad!" She said happily as we hung back with Sodapop and Darry while they waited for Ponyboy. After everyone was gathered, we got back into our cars and drove to the Curtis's house.

When we walked to the backyard, there were blue and gold streamers and balloons everywhere. On a table was some food and a large cake that said _Congratulations Rachel and Ponyboy._

I went inside and quickly changed into jeans and a t-shirt and returned outside. My friends and the Curtis's were gone, probably changing as well.

"Congratulations!" Two-Bit said hugging me and lifting me in the air.

"Can't breathe." I gasped.

"Oh sorry." He said, putting me down, and immediately ran over to the food table. I grabbed some of the fruit and ate it as I waited for everyone else to come back out. All of us sat in the grass and ate. Jena was sitting on Sodapop's lap and they were sharing a plate. Angela and Johnny were sitting together on a blanket and sharing off of each other's plates, but they were not as openly affectionate and Jena and Sodapop. Emily was basically guarding her plate from her boyfriend, who occasionally tried to take a bite of her food. The rest of us just ate like normal people, with our own food on our own plates.

"Hey, look what I found." Steve pulled a football out of the bushes.

"Awesome lets play." Ponyboy said. He turned back to me. "Rachel, want to join?"

"Always." I said, brushing myself off and standing next to Ponyboy. We all divided off into teams, even Jena decided to join us.

"Jena!" Steve called as he passed her the ball. She started running, hands ready to catch the ball. She reached her hands up, about to touch the ball.

"Jena watch out for that..." Angela called, however it was too late. Jena flipped over the table and food went flying. The punch bowl flew up in the air and spilled its contents all over her, staining her white t-shirt pink. The bowl landed on her head, and she was absolutely covered in food.

"... Table." Angela sighed as we all ran over to Jena.

"Jena?" Sodapop lifted the bowl off her head and crouched in front of her.

"I caught it." She said, raising the ball triumphantly, surprised at herself.

"Cool, but do you need medical attention or something?" Jena shook her head and tried to get up. She slipped in the punch soaked grass and fell back on the ground. Sodapop lifted her up and began carrying her away from the table. "I think you've had enough." As Sodapop carried her away, she tossed the ball back to Steve.

"You sure you're all right?" He asked, holding the ball.

"I'm fine." She laughed.

We continued with our game as Jena walked inside to clean up. After it got dark, we all laid under the stars together and told stories to each other. Slowly, one by one, we all drifted off to sleep.


	10. What the Hell!

Two-Bit POV

"Have fun with the girls!" Emily called as she walked past me on the driveway. I nodded and entered the house.

"HELLO LADIES!" I announced after I closed the door.

"We're right here. You don't have to shout." Angela sighed as I walked into the kitchen

"Nice to see you too mom. Hey Rachel. Hey Jena." I grabbed Jena and put her in a choke hold, not noticing that she had a hot pan in her hands. The pan slipped and she screamed in pain. I let go of her and she dropped to the floor.

"What the hell, Keith?!" She yelled at me. I chuckled until she glared at me with a few tears in her eyes.

"You okay?" I asked, putting the pan in the sink. _If Sodapop finds out about this, he's going to murder me_.

"No." She groaned, rubbing her foot that the pan landed on. I went to the ice box and grabbed some cubes and wrapped them in a towel. _At least I'm not going to throw any at her like Angela did to me_.

"Here. This might help." I handed her the towel and she held it on her foot. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. It was an accident." Jena responded, looking up at me. She held her arms out and I bent over to hug her. I helped her up and we walked over to the couch. I turned on the television and changed the channels until I found some cartoons. Jena smiled as Tom and Jerry came on.

"So that's what that scream was?" Angela asked as Jena propped her foot up and set the ice towel on it. "You've been here, what, five minutes and you've already damaged Jena?" I shrugged my shoulders as the show continued. She sighed and sat down next to Rachel, shaking her head but smiling. Rachel soon got up and went to one of the rooms and closed the door. _Dang, school_. As the commercials started, I got bored quickly. We need some excitement.

"Let's do something fun!" I finally said to Angela.

"Like what?"

"I dunno, something random and spontaneous... Like dying your hair!"

"What?" Angela's eyes got wide. "There is no way you are dying my hair."

"Who said I was going to do that? Your sister always has hair dye lying around." I responded looking at Jena. She looked at me and rolled her eyes. _You'll see. I'll get her to agree_.

"Why would my sister dye my hair?" Angela said also looking at Jena, raising her eyebrows.

"Because I'll nicely asked her to. Get with the program. Besides, isn't brown a little boring?"

"What if she says no? And I like my hair color!" Her face flushed slightly as she raised her voice and I smirked.

"She needs some practice anyway. And whatever you say..." I trailed off eyeing Angela.

"Practice? I might let her practice if she asks me because she'd pick something decent." She responded, trying to remain collected.

"Who says she won't pick something decent? All I'm doing is starting this whole thing up."

"What do you know about hair?" She said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Angela, it would be fun. Change is always good." Jena finally said, probably tired of our arguing.

"See?" I gestured to Jena.

"So you brainwashed my sister now?" Angela put her hands on her hips.

"Angela, please? I'll do anything." I started to beg, trying to do puppy dog eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with changing things up a bit. When was the last time you really let loose?" Jena added.

"Really? Anything? And the last time I let loose was the time you all convinced me to sit in the back of Darry's truck bed and I nearly fell on the road."

"You eventually had fun. Please?" Jena drew out, batting her eyelashes.

"All right. Let's try it. Just keep him away from the colors." Angela got up and led Jena and me to the bathroom. _Score_! I grabbed a folding chair for her to sit on.

"One more thing. You have to keep your eyes closed." I said as she sat down.

"What?!" Angela squeaked.

"Just trust us." I replied. She nodded and closed her eyes as Jena took a bottle of hair dye off the shelf.

When we finished, Angela opened her eyes and they nearly bulged out of their sockets.

"Jena! Keith! What the hell?!" She touched her fire engine red hair.

"Shit." Jena cursed under her breath as she looked at the bottle. "I meant to do a darker red."

"What?! Why the hell didn't you read the bottle?"

"I'm sorry." Jena bleated, taking a few steps back. I rested my hand on Angela's shoulder.

"You kind of look like me now." I chuckled slightly, looking at the two of us in the mirror. Eventually I couldn't contain it and guffawed uncontrollably.

"Shut up." Angela said simply, her eyes turning icy. I covered my mouth and tried to restrain myself.

"It'll go away eventually." Jena said quietly. "The dye says it only lasts for a few washes."

"You used temporary dye?" Angela turned to Jena.

"Of course." Jena smiled. Angela started giggling and eventually fell into a full blown laugh attack.

"Hey guys I was wondering...what the hell happened?!" Rachel exclaimed as she poked her head into the bathroom.

"These two convinced me to dye my hair." Angela said simply, punching me in the arm.

"Well I hope your new hot head doesn't hurt my ninja partner." Rachel joked, starting to admire Angela's new do.

"Ninja?"

"It's a game. Basically a group of two or more people stand in a circle or some kind of formation. Then each person tries to make contact with someone else above the in one swift motion. When they make contact with the other person's limb, that person can't use that limb any more. It's essentially chopped off for the rest of the round." Angela explained as she brushed her hair out.

"And you're out if someone hits your torso or you lose all your limbs." Rachel added.

"Wait so I'm going to get hit by Rachel?" I asked, causing everyone to smile. We all got in the circle in the living room, and Angela made the first move. I watched as she pivoted on her left foot and nailed Jena in the right arm. Jena put that arm behind her back and pivoted so she hit Rachel's arm. Rachel pivoted towards me and hit my arm really hard.

"Ouch! What the hell Rachel?" I held my arm where she hit me.

"Sorry. Did that hurt?"

"Yes." I replied. "But I'll survive." I sighed dramatically, causing Jena to giggle. I tried to get Jena's other arm but ended up loosing balance and falling on my face. "Can I at least get up?" I ask as they laughed.

"Yes but you can't go again." Angela laughed. I got up and we went around again. Rachel got Jena's good leg so she had to kneel on the ground because of her foot. When it was my turn I tried for Angela but she easily dodged my arm. She returned by nailing me right in the ribs.

"I've been hit. Man down!" I called, slowly falling. They continued playing as they laughed and eventually Rachel won. I asked for a rematch but I was still the first one out since Jena sat out.

"Go again?" Rachel asked after the second game.

"No way. I know when I've been beat." I said flopping on their couch. They smiled and sat down too. For once I didn't mind having nothing going on and eventually we all looked over as someone knocked on the door and heard the key go into the lock. As Emily walked in the door, she stopped dead in her tracks. She looked at each of us, Rachel lying on the ground, Jena with her foot propped and wrapped, Angela with her new hair style, and me smirking like an idiot. She dropped her bag, turned, and walked right back out the door.

"Emily wait!" I called as I jumped up after her. I leaped off the porch and tackled her into my parked car.

"Keith you idiot!" She screamed between me and the car. She pushed me off her but I kept my arms around her waist.

"Thank you." I said, planting a kiss on her lips. Before she could talk, I picked her up and carried her back into the house.

"Welcome back." Jena said as I put Em down.

"What the hell happened?" She asked, taking another look.

"Your boyfriend happened." Angela said, pulling at her hair for emphasis. "First he caused Jena to burn her foot and then roped her into convincing me to dye my hair which turned into this."

"But you got to admit. That hair is pretty hot." I crack, ducking a head shot from Emily.

"Don't worry, we already got payback by whooping his ass at ninja." Rachel added getting up from the floor.

"Yeah. You girls got me good." I rubbed my arm from Rachel's first hit on me.

"But I'll have to admit, it was pretty fun." Angela said, smiling wide.

"Yeah, you should stop by again sometime." Jena added. I smiled and nodded my head.

"Definitely. Right after I practice ninja on the rest of the gang." The girls laughed and I waved as I walked out the door. I got in my car when I saw Emily following me. "What's up babe?" She bit her lip and looked at me.

"Thanks." She said simply.

"For what?" I rested my hand on top of hers.

"For hanging out with the girls. It really meant a lot to them." I smiled.

"They're a fun group. Honestly. And I'm happy they tolerated me all day. I expected Jena to throw me out after she burned herself." I laughed.

"You and I both know that wouldn't happen. But as Jena said, you're always welcome here." Emily bent down and pecked me on the cheek before walking back up to the house. I stared after her and waited until she got inside before backing out of the driveway.


	11. Birthday Bash

**July 20, 1968**

Ponyboy POV

Jena sighed as we trekked across town to the bakery to pick up a bag of rolls. We could kind of see it but the heat warped everything.

"I don't want to do this any more than you do." I sighed. "It's too hot to be out like this." I wiped the sweat from my forehead and looked over at my brother's girlfriend.

"You got that right. I still don't see why we couldn't just go to the grocery store down the block from my place." We finally reached the bakery and Jena pulled out a couple bills to pay for two dozen rolls.

As we walked back, I could only wish for an ice cold bottle of Pepsi. Jena pushed some hair out of her face. _I have never seen her that red, not even when she managed to run into Darry's parked truck in front of the whole gang. And how can she not be sweating?_

"Just one more block and we're home." She said tiredly. She had slowed down considerably since when we first left the house, and I began wondering if she had heat stroke. As we approached the porch, she dropped to the ground, out cold. _I knew it was a bad idea to be out in this weather_. I ran through the front door.

"Jena fainted!" Angela, Sodapop, and Darry ran outside and Johnny gave me a tall glass of ice water. I quickly gulped the whole thing down, feeling a lot better. A few minutes later Angela and Sodapop slowly walked back into the house, helping Jena in too. Johnny took one look at Jena and made another glass of ice water. Angela laid her down and propped her legs on the couch.

"Some way to spend a birthday, right Ponyboy?" She laughed weakly. I nodded my head. Angela left the room and returned with a cool cloth to sponge Jena's face and a thermometer.

"You guys could have taken the truck. It's far too hot to be walking." Darry said as he put the rolls in a basket. I nodded my head once again and went in the fridge to get a bottle of Pepsi.

"I wouldn't be drinking that quite yet. The caffeine will make you dehydrated." Angela said as she fanned Jena's face. I turned to the sink and got another glass of water. I looked over at my brother, who was holding Jena's hand and watching as Angela took care of her. She sighed relieved as she took the thermometer out of Jena's mouth again. "Her temeprature has gone down. Can you get another wet rag Sodapop?" He got up but went to our bedroom first. When he came back he set a card in Jena's hand .

"Suprise." He whispered, putting a rag behind Jena's head. Jena opened the card, and smiled at what was written inside it.

"Happy birthday!" Rachel called as she, Emily, and Two-Bit walked into the house. Angela walked up to me with the thermometer and put it in my mouth. She began feeling my face and I swatted at her hands.

"Stop touching me." I mumbled.

"Hey, suck it up. We want to make sure you aren't going to die." Darry said, handing me a wet rag. I rolled my eyes and put the wet rag on the back of my neck.

"I think you're just dehydrated. You don't have a high temperature or anything." Angela deducted. I nodded my head and sat on the floor of the living room by Rachel.

"What happened?" She removed the rag from my neck and looked over at where Jena was lying on the couch.

"Jena and I had to walk across town and we think she got heat stroke." Rachel nodded and handed me a wrapped box.

"It's small but I think you will like it." She explained simply. I opened the box and found a new watch and some candy. I immediately put on the watch and admired it.

"Thank you Rachel." I pecked her on the cheek.

"Happy birthday." She murmured in my ear as I wrapped my arm around her.

"Let's play truth or dare." Two-Bit said as Steve and Dally walked in.

"Sounds good to me." Rachel said.

"I'll do it if Jena's up for it." Sodapop said. Jena simply nodded, and we took that as our green light that she was on board.

"Ponyboy, truth or dare?" Two-Bit asked.

"Truth." I said, trying to keep it safe.

"What was the last thing you lied about?"

"I failed my last blue book this year."

"What?!" I shrank back as Darry stood up. Sodapop grabbed Darry's arm and looked up at him. "It's fine. You'll do better next time." He said, sitting back down.

"Darry, truth or dare?" I said, looking at my oldest brother.

"Dare."

"Run around the neighborhood and scream 'I'm Superman!'" Everyone in the room began laughing and we followed Darry outside to make sure he actually did his dare.

"All right. Angela, truth or dare." He asked, his face turning less red from the heat.

"I suppose I could do a dare." She said slowly.

"Make out with Johnny!" Two-Bit said before Darry could decide what to dare Angela to do.

"No!" She yelled, getting up to leave. Johnny grabbed her hand and gently pulled her back down.

"Two-Bit go sit in the corner." Emily reprimanded. Two-Bit hung his head, but followed his girlfriend's command.

"Go to the fridge and get out the cake." Darry said. Angela smiled and went to our kitchen and set a cake on the coffee table.

"Two-Bit, truth or dare."

"Truth, I ain't got nothing to hide."

"What the heck were you thinking?"

"He wasn't." Emily said quickly.

"Actually, I was thinking about... Um... I'd better not talk about that right now." Angela gasped, her face reddening, and Emily hit Two-Bit on the upside of his head.

"You go back in your corner." Emily said.

"Can you at least pass the cake?" He whined.

"Not yet." She said pulling out a box of candles. Emily arranged the candles around the border of the cake and Darry passed a lighter. She lit the candles and everyone sang happy birthday quite obnoxiously, but they were having fun. Jena and I both blew out the candles and Angela started serving. Two-Bit was allowed away from his corner to eat the cake with us. I sat down next to Rachel and handed her a slice of cake.

"So what happened to you?" Emily asked Jena as she took a bite of her cake.

"She fainted." Angela said drinking some water.

"How?"

"Heat stroke." Darry explained.

"Well that was-" Emily was interrupted when Two-Bit shoved her plate of cake on her face, "smart." She wiped the cake off her face and turned to Two-Bit. We all sat in dead silence, waiting for what Emily might do. "You know, that was really good cake. You should try it." She gripped Two-Bit's head and pressed it down into his cake. He lifted up his head and pushed his hair back, the frosting sticking it all together. He picked up a fistful of cake and tried to fling it at Emily, but she dodged it and it smacked Dally.

"What the hell?!" He yelled, the cake sliding off his chest and onto the floor.

"Hey Ponyboy?"

"What?" Rachel smashed her piece of cake onto my face and laughed.

"Dally! What the?" Johnny yelled somewhere. I tried to wipe the cake off my eyes and saw Johnny trying to get some spattered frosting off of his jaw from the piece of cake now on his shoulder. I looked down at my hands, and smeared some of the cake on my girlfriend's face. I then took a handful of cake from the table and chucked at Sodapop.

"Guys what are you doing!" Angela called as my piece hit Sodapop on his Adams Apple. She opened her mouth to speak but a piece of cake landed right on her cheek. "Johnny? Really?"

"SODA!" Jena screeched and we all froze. I looked over and her entire face was a mix of pink, blue, green, and white frosting. She spit out some of the frosting from her mouth and gingerly took her glasses off. She glared at Sodapop who attempted to wipe some of the frosting off her face but was suppressing a laugh.

"She's alive." Steve said mimicking Dr. Frankenstein. Sodapop's bad aim meant he only got cake on the outside of his stomach rather that inside. I looked over at Angela as she peeled the cake off her face. She held it in her hand then looked over at Darry, who managed to stay clean. Everyone gasped as she slapped the cake onto his mouth. When she removed her hand Darry stood like a statue. He breathed heavy and walked into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry Darry." Angela started as she followed him, looking slightly panicked.

"It's ok." Darry responded out of sight from everyone. After a moment I leaned over and saw him walk out of the room, carrying a chocolate cake. Angela stumbled out the kitchen, her face brown. I realized Darry's hand was covered in frosting and there was an indent in the cake.

"Oh it's on." She said, using one hand against the wall to balance herself.

"Food fight!" Jena yelled, getting up off the couch.

Everything turned to shit. There was chocolate and vanilla cake flying everywhere. Angela and Johnny had hid themselves behind the couch and were flinging bits of cake at everyone in the room. Two-Bit and Emily had their hands locked, trying to force the other into Darry's giant cake. Steve came between them and stuffed a piece into each of their faces. I started using the candy from Rachel's gift as little bullets. Dally sprinted behind Jena, trying to hit Darry with a huge slice of chocolate cake. In the commotion, he pushed her onto the coffee table and she got frosting all down the front of her body and face.

"Seriously?" She used both hands to wipe frosting off her face. She looked over at me and grinned mischeviously. "Ponyboy, I think you need a hug." She came over to me and wrapped her arms around me. I slipped out of her grip and fell backwards. I stayed on the ground and closed my eyes.

"Ponyboy!" Sodapop yelled. I opened my eyes and saw my brother standing above me. He looked terrified and I realized the room was dead silent. "Are you okay?" He reached down and wiped some icing off my forehead.

"I'm fine." I laughed, taking my brother's hand and getting up.

"Good. I thought you fainted." I looked around as everyone recovered from the food fight. Dally's once blond hair was now dyed a glass menagerie of colors from the frosting. Jena, Emily, and their boyfriends were covered head to toe in cake. Angela and Johnny managed not to have too much cake on them. Everyone else was caked to varying degrees, but we all looked ridiculous.

Two-Bit licked his upper lip. "This cake is pretty good. Why did you waste it?"

"You started it goofball. Remember?" Emily said, punching her boyfriend in the arm.

"How the hell did I get cake in my ear?" Steve said, rubbing the mentioned body part.

"Here's a better question. How are we going to clean this up?" Darry sighed.

"Well, first, maybe we should clean ourselves up? And then we can all pitch in to clean the room." Angela suggested. We all nodded and followed her instructions. Soda, Darry, and I lent everyone some of our clean clothes on the condition that they were returned to us the next day. After everyone took a quick shower and changed, we all got to work on cleaning. It was amazing some of the places that cake ended up. Darry had to get a ladder to clean some from off the ceiling.

"So, did you two have a good birthday?" Rachel asked. I looked over at Jena, who was in the kitchen scrubbing the wall.

"Yes. It was loads of fun." I said.

"I second that." Jena added.

"We need to do this again!" Two-Bit exclaimed, causing everyone to laugh and roll their eyes.


	12. Sunsets and Sleepovers

**August 1968**

Sodapop POV

"Where are we going?" Jena asked me as I drove her through town. She attempted to undo her blindfold, and I took her hand.

"You'll find out soon enough." She sighed and relaxed. I drove to the edge of town to the old water tower and stopped the car. I took off Jena's blindfold and led her to the tower.

"What are we doing here?"

"Just climb up." She looked at me warily, but followed my directions.

When we finally got to the top, Jena leaned against the railing and looked at all of Tulsa.

"I've never seen the town from this perspective." She breathed, taking in the scene. It was beautiful, with the sun setting and the sky turning all sorts of different oranges and reds.

I watched as she was looking around in awe and figured that it was now or never. I bent down on my right knee and pulled the box out of my pocket. Jena turned to say something to me and gasped.

"Jena, you're the most perfect girl I have ever known. The second I saw you standing in my living room I knew we were meant to be and every second I spent with you after that only solidified my knowledge. We've been through so much together, both good and bad, and I want to be together for the rest of our lives. So, will you marry me?" Her hands flew to her mouth as she started crying and she nodded her head. I took her left hand and slid the silver ring with a heart shaped diamond on her finger and enveloped her in a hug. We sat down and just enjoyed each other's company and I pulled out a bottle of champagne and poured some for the both of us. She sipped it carefully, her eyes locked on mine.

"Je t'aime." She said quietly.

"What?" I was pretty sure that was French, but I didn't speak the language at all.

"I love you." She explained, leaning into me.

"I love you too."

We sat up on the tower for hours, just talking and planning our lives out together.

"You know, we're going to have to tell your brothers about this, right? And I'm not too sure Darry will approve of us getting married so young." Jena said suddenly.

"We can tell them right now." I told Jena as I helped her up and guided her to the ladder. Her face changed from one of bliss, to one of fear and concern. I started climbing down the ladder first, with Jena a few steps above me. She missed the last three steps though, and fell to the ground flat on her back.

"Are you okay?" I hovered over her, as she gasped, trying to catch her breath.

"Fabulous." She said as she sat up.

"Nothing's broken?" I knelt beside her.

"Only my pride." She took my hand and I helped her stand back up. I brushed a few leaves out of her hair and walked her to the car.

The whole ride back to my house, Jena was nearly silent, except for incessantly tapping her fingers against her legs. When I parked the car, I grabbed both of her hands.

"There's no need to be scared. They're not going to do anything to you, except maybe hug you."

"I know." Jena said, looking at the house.

"So come on." I said as I got out of the car. Jena got out of the car and followed me into my house. We were greeted with Darry drinking a mug of coffee and reading the paper.

"You're late." He told me, gesturing towards the clock. _One in the morning? How did that happen?_

"Sorry." I said, grabbing Jena's left hand.

"Hey Soda. Where were you?" Ponyboy sleepily walked down the stairs and sat down on the bottom step.

"Actually, we have something to tell you." Jena spoke up, looking up into my eyes. "Sodapop proposed to me tonight, and I said yes." The room was dead silent for a few seconds, and I felt Jena tense up. Darry let out a slow breath.

"You know we've talked about this, Sodapop." He said.

"I know..." I sighed.

"All I want you to know is," he cracked a smile, "that Mom and Dad would be so proud of you. Congrats you two, and welcome to the family, Jena." He said finally, standing up to hug us both. Ponyboy ran over to hug us, nearly knocking down Jena in the process.

"It's late out, and I don't really want Jena to walk home in the dark, but I don't feel comfortable letting you drive either, Soda. I'm just going to call her house and say she's staying here for the night so Angela doesn't worry too much." Darry said as he made his way to the phone. "Hi Angela. Sorry for calling so late . . . Jena is over here right now . . . Yes, she's fine. I just don't want her to walk home in the dark . . . Is it alright if she stays here? . . . All right, I'll pass her the phone." Jena took the phone from Darry and pressed it to her ear.

"Angela, calm down . . . Everything is fine. I promise. I'll explain tomorrow when I get home . . . Love you too. Bye." Jena set the phone back into its cradle.

"Ponyboy, you need to go to bed. It's late." Darry said, Ponyboy nodded his head and returned upstairs.

"Do you have something I could use for pajamas?" Jena asked me.

"Come with me, I'll see what I can come up with." I said as I led Jena to my room. _She's so much smaller than me. How am I supposed to find clothes that fit her?_ I gave her a pair of sweats that I could only hope fit her, and one of my t-shirts to wear on top. She gave me a peck on the lips and went to the bathroom to change. When she returned I couldn't help but laugh.

"It's not my fault that you are so much bigger than I am." She whined.

"You look adorable." I laughed, kissing her forehead. I took a pillow off my bed and a blanket from my closet. "Good night, Jena dearest." I said as I walked back downstairs to the living room to sleep on the couch.

"Good night Soda." She called. I couldn't help but smile remembering all of the events that happened. _First I find her out of no where in my house. Then save her from socs. And now... _I had to take a breath thinking of tonight_. Jena and I are getting married. _I collapsed the couch not even wanting to go to sleep because my dreams have all become real.


	13. An Announcement (Carnival 1 of 5)

Jena POV

I woke up early in the morning on Sodapop's bed. I looked down at my left hand and saw the sparkling diamond on my finger. _So last night wasn't a dream after all_. I went to the bathroom to shower and change and made my way downstairs. Soda was sound asleep on the couch, and snored quietly. I smiled and walked into the kitchen, quickly locating everything I would need to cook up enough breakfast to feed a small army. I made some hard boiled eggs for Angela and Ponyboy and started frying an egg to put on Darry's breakfast sandwich. I used a whole carton of eggs to make scrambled eggs for everyone else, and took out the chocolate cake, chocolate milk, and grape jelly. I set everything on the table and started a pot of coffee just as Darry walked in.

"Did you do all of this?" He looked at his table in amazement.

"Yes." I smiled and handed him his sandwich and cup of coffee. "It's the least I could do after you let me spend the night." Darry cut himself a large slice of cake and turned to go to the living room.

"Thanks." He said, looking back at me.

"You're welcome." Ponyboy walked in a few minutes later and helped himself to breakfast.

"I think I can get used to having you as a sister in law." He laughed. I simply smiled and shook my head. I walked back to the living room and looked at my sleeping fiancé.

"Wake up. I made breakfast." I whispered in his ear. He snorted as he woke up and his brown eyes locked with mine.

"Good morning." He said in his husky morning voice. He pulled me on top of him and Darry cleared his throat. I looked at Darry sheepishly as Sodapop whined and let go. "So did I hear correctly?"

"Yup everything's ready on the table." Sodapop got up and sleepily padded into the kitchen. "May I use the phone?" Darry nodded and I dialed home.

"Hello?" I heard Angela say.

"Hey, it's me. Bring the girls over, all right?"

"Why? You said you'd be coming home today. I thought that meant you'd be coming home, not us getting you. And we haven't eaten yet."

"Well there's been a change in plans. Plus there's plenty of food over here. Just get here as soon as possible."

"All right." Angela sighed. "I'll see you in ten minutes." She hung up the phone. Steve and Two-Bit walked in just as I set the phone down.

"Hey guys, there's breakfast in the kitchen." I said simply. They nodded their heads. I sat down with my own plate of eggs and chocolate cake when Angela, Rachel, and Emily walked in.

"Hello." Angela said simply before she walked into the kitchen to get some food. Minutes later, Dally and Johnny walked in.

"Jena made breakfast, there's probably still some left if you want it." Darry said after taking another sip of coffee. Johnny nodded his head at me and followed Dally into the kitchen. Sodapop sat down next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. As soon as everyone was settled he cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm happy to announce that after three years, I'm finally going to become the happiest man alive. In maybe a year, we are going to have a new member of the Curtis family as Jena has accepted my proposal and is now my fiancée." Sodapop grabbed my hand and showed off my ring.

"All ready?" Emily stared at me.

"Fiancée of how long?" Angela asked, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"He proposed last night." I responded.

"Wow. Congrats!" Johnny said. He turned to look at Angela.

"Last night? What?" Angela stared at me. I simply smiled.

"You'll be very happy together." Rachel said, breaking the awkward silence.

"I knew it was only a matter of time until you two were married. Congrats!" Two-Bit said slapping Sodapop on the back.

"Jena Curtis. It does sound nice." Steve said, giving me a one armed hug. "You chose her well Sodapop."

"Well why don't we celebrate by going to the carnival that just came into town?" Dally said as he got out of his seat.

"Sounds good to me." Darry said. We all put our plates in the sink and began walking downtown. Angela and I hung behind a bit.

"So what was with Emily's reaction?" I asked, kicking a pebble down the sidewalk.

"What do you mean?" Angela looked at me.

"You know what I mean. We've been together for three years now. This was bound to happen someday."

"But now? Jena, you're only nineteen. You haven't lived long enough." Angela stopped and turned to me.

"Maybe I haven't, but does it really matter?" I huffed, slightly annoyed.

"It might. What you do today can cause things you never would have imagined ten years from now. You really should have thought about this." Angela responded.

"I know. But I'm happy and Sodapop's happy. Isn't that all that matters in the end?" I registered that I was raising my voice slightly, and I was positive my irritation was written all over my face.

"You may be happy now, but..." Sodapop showed up and stood next to me. "We'll talk about this at home." Angela finished, staring at Soda.

"Talk about what?" Soda asked, looking from me to Angela and back.

"About... About your engagement." Angela said with no emotion.

"What about it?" Sodapop wrapped a protective arm around me.

"She thinks we're too young." I responded, looking at Angela.

"Don't get me wrong. I assumed that one day you would ask her but I wasn't thinking it would be so soon." Angela said.

"I know, but we're both adults now and we know what we're doing." Sodapop ran his hand through his hair.

"Really? You know what you're doing? You are just out a year of beauty school and you still work at the gas station. You guys need to be stable enough to get married and a lot can come at you in the future. Could you handle it?" Angela looked at both of us, her blue eyes concerned.

"Steve and I are going to open our own repair shop. And I've been putting aside half of every paycheck for a year so we could have something to start up with when we get married." Sodapop said.

"And Ethel paid off beauty school for me and I have a steady job now, so all my income can go towards our bills." I informed Angela. She sighed.

"All right. I guess you feel you can handle it. But none of us have gotten married before. I'm just trying to be cautious for your sake." She said finally.

"Can we have your blessing?" Sodapop asked, gripping my hand.

"All right. Do you want me to make a speech or something?" Angela smiled and laughed slightly.

"If you want to. We just want to know you support us." I said.

"I do support you. I just wanted to be sure that you knew what you were doing." Angela said, looking at the two of us. I smiled and gave Angela a big hug, relieved everything worked out. "We should probably catch up with everyone else." She said suddenly. I nodded and we all jogged back to our mob of people. Angela walked behind Johnny and tapped his shoulder. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her.

"Here's the life of the party. Where have you two been?" Two-Bit asked, wrapping one of his arm around me and the other arm around Sodapop.

"Leave them alone Keith." Emily laughed as she pulled her boyfriend away from us. "Congrats." She whispered in my ear. I smiled and took Sodapop's hand. I looked ahead and could see the big Ferris wheel and a bunch of vendors.

"All right guys. It's one o'clock now. The carnival closes at midnight. We need to all be back here by eleven or tell one of us if you're leaving early." Darry said, looking at each one of us.

With that we all stormed the carnival. Two-Bit and Emily raced for the elephant ears while Ponyboy and Rachel headed for the carousel. Dally disappeared quickly into the crowd. Angela and Johnny stayed behind with me and Sodapop as we looked at a map of things to do. Steve rested his chin on my shoulder as we looked, and Darry towered over us all.

"Let's ride the scrambler first." Johnny suggested. Angela nodded and looked at the rest of us.

"Sounds good to me." Darry said as we all began walking to the spinning ride.


	14. Dizzy or Drunk? (Carnival 2 of 5)

Angela POV

I took Johnny's hand as I tried to step out of the cart for the Himalaya. I managed to get out fine but tripped going down the ramp and fell into Johnny.

"Woah there." He said lifting me back to my feet. "Let's at least get off the ramp." I giggled slightly as I wrapped my arms around his. He looked over as I leaned on his shoulder and he smiled. "What's gotten into you? You're normally so sure footed." He asked when we got off the ramp.

"Nothing. That ride just got me dizzy." I said, standing straighter. As if to prove my point, someone knocked me off balance from behind, landing me right onto Johnny.

"Did Two-Bit slip you a shot or something?" He laughed as he led me over to a table. I shook my head but laughed along with him.

"Maybe it's that Jena's getting married. This is like an engagement party for them."

"So you're happy about it?" He asked, unsure.

"I'm content with it." I laid my head on Johnny's shoulder, the world just starting to stop spinning. "I could really go for some food. A chocolate shake would hit the spot."

"With a side of fries?" I smiled, knowing that was Johnny's favorite treat. "You don't need to ask me twice." I raised my head and started to dig into my purse.

When I found a few bills he was already gone. I looked around, wondering if I might spot the rest of the gang. _Jena's probably still by the Scrambler and the smoother rides._

"I'm back." I jumped slightly as Johnny whispered into my ear. I smiled and snuck a kiss onto his cheek as he set down a large chocolate shake and carnival fries. "I didn't scare you did I?" He asked, concerned, as he sat down.

"A little but it was fine." I said taking a fry. He rested his arm around my shoulder and took a sip of the shake. "Have you ever tried this?" I opened the lid of the shake, took another fry, and dipped it into the chocolate.

"What is that?" He asked, staring at me like I've lost my mind.

"Delicious." I stated, savoring the perfect contrast as I ate the treat. I took another, dipped it, and fed him the fry. His eyes lit up as he ate it and I smiled.

"That's amazing!" He exclaimed, immediately taking another and dipping it in the chocolate. I expected him to eat it, but he held it out and I opened my mouth for him. We eventually ran out of french fries and had to drink the shake. Once that was finished, we simply sat together, me still underneath his arm.

"Now what do you want to do?" I asked, sitting up so his arm slid off my shoulders.

"Something that's not going to leave you drunk." He joked, holding both my hands as we stood up. I laughed and hip bumped him. He smiled and bumped me back, still holding my hand.


	15. Haunted House (Carnival 3 of 5)

Rachel POV

"Come on. Let's see the haunted house!" Ponyboy dragged me over to a semi truck trailer.

"I don't think so, Ponyboy. I don't like it when things jump out at me." I pulled away slightly.

"Why? You love horror movies."

"Yeah, but that's different." I sighed, still pulling away.

"I'll be right here, okay? I won't leave you for one second." We got into line and Ponyboy wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Hey you two!" Dally jumped over the barriers and stood next to us in line, ignoring the irritated looks from the people behind us. "I think you may need a chaperone."

"Or you just want to bum a few tickets off of us." Ponyboy said under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." I said, elbowing Ponyboy slightly. As we got closer to the house entrance I noticed Dally searching himself for something.

"Glory, looks like I misplaced my tickets. Do you have any to spare?" He asked, eyeing the tickets in my hand. Ponyboy huffed next to me as I handed Dally a ticket for the haunted house.

"Only one?" I nodded my head as I give two tickets to the carni for Ponyboy and myself.

She pointed us to the door and we crept inside. It was incredibly dark, and there were cobwebs everywhere. I nuzzled closer to Ponyboy as we walked through. I heard Dally walking behind us, and felt slightly comforted that he was there. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something dark moving by the wall. It began moving closer and closer to us and I suppressed a scream. The person came even closer and I registered their maniacal clown makeup. _If there's one thing in the world I'm afraid of, it's clowns_. I couldn't help but watch as it continued to creep and final jump toward me. I screamed and plastered myself behind Ponyboy, hiding my eyes with his shoulder. I could hear Dally laughing behind me until I heard him scream too. _And you try to look so tuff._ We continued walking through the trailer, constantly bombarded with horrifying figures. Surprisingly, Dally screamed more than Ponyboy or me.

At last, we breached the exit.

"You kids are such scaredy cats." Dally laughed.

"I heard you scream a few times." I retorted.

"No, that was Ponyboy." He said simply, obviously lying. Ponyboy glared at Dally as he headed off.

"I know it wasn't you." I said, squeezing his hand so he actually didn't scream.

"So what do you want to do now?" He sighed.

"Let's find Angela and Johnny and do a few rides with them." I said, pulling Ponyboy to a swarm of people. I could still tell he was miffed about Dally when we decided to go on the tea cups. "Do you need a Pepsi?" He looked over, attempting not to smile and be tuff. I knew that he could never resist a Pepsi and it always made him smile if he had a long day. I took him away from the line to a table and went to get a drink for us. I set it down and Ponyboy caved, smiling wide and nearly gulping the entire drink at once. When he finished I tossed the cup in the trash basketball style and we sat together.

"Thanks." He said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.

"You were there for me. I'm here for you." I responded, kissing him on the lips.


	16. Pandas and Piggybacks (Carnival 4 of 5)

Emily POV

"So what exactly do you want me to win for you?" Two-Bit asked as we walked through the aisle of game stalls.

"That giant panda." I said. "But I can win it for myself." I smirked.

"Oh really now? Wanna bet?"

"Sure." We both put a dollar on the table and the vendor set us up to play the game.

"The object of the game is to knock down all the cans." He said, bored. I looked over at Two-Bit and threw my first baseball at the stack. I knocked down the top can. "Sorry, you have to hit them all at once." The man said resetting the can. I sighed as Two-Bit took his turn. He completely missed the cans. I grinned slightly and took another shot, still only able to hit the top can. Two-Bit took his turn again and was able to knock down two cans. I took my last turn and completely missed. I looked over at Two-Bit who dramatically wound up his arm and threw the ball, hitting all the cans.

"What do you want for a prize?" The man asked.

"How about that panda over there?" Two-Bit said pointing to the stuffed bear. The man handed it to Two-Bit who in turn handed it to me. I smiled and hugged the bear to myself.

"Thanks." I said, kissing his cheek.

"You're welcome. Let's go get a soft pretzel." Two-Bit said as he took my hand and led me to a food stand.

"I want cotton candy." I eyed the pink ball of fluff as Two-Bit took out his wallet to pay for our treats. He broke off a piece of his pretzel and put it in my mouth, and I ripped off a piece of the fluffy sugar for him to eat. We continued walking around and looking at everything there was to do as we ate our treats.

I could hear Jena, Steve, and Sodapop laughing, and I looked over and found Sodapop giving Jena a piggyback ride.

"Hey you two!" Jena called as Soda jogged slightly to catch up with us. "Nice toy."

"Hey yourself." I laughed. "And thanks." I hugged my bear and smiled

"Race you to the swings." Sodapop said to me and Two-Bit.

"You're on." Two-Bit said, bending down so I could get on his back. _Are you kidding me?_

"Come on Ness!" Jena beckoned as Sodapop adjusted her on her back.

"Hop on girl!" Steve shouted coming out of no where. He attempted to shove me onto Two-Bit but I gave him another shove to the chest. "Dang girl. Two-Bit, how do you stay with her? I was just trying to push you in the right direction." He complained, rubbing the spot I hit him.

"Last time you pushed me, you nearly upturned the canoe and got us into the lake." I grumbled. Jena pouted in my direction and I sighed and got on my boyfriend's back, pressing the stuffed animal between our bodies.

"On your mark, get set, GO!" Steve yelled. Two-Bit and Sodapop set off running as quickly as they could, both hoping to win the race. I was certain that I nearly have fell off as Two-Bit swerved dodging random bystanders. In the end, Sodapop and Jena reached the swings first by ten feet.

"I guess I shouldn't have eaten that last bit of pretzel. We would've won." Two-Bit remarked as I got down.

"Nah, I'm heavier than Jena is. They had an unfair advantage." I laughed.

"We'll leave you two be. See you later!" Jena said as Sodapop walked away with her still on his back and Steve followed them.

"Well since we're here. Wanna go on?" Two-Bit asked as they disappeared into the crowd.

"Sure." It was strange being the tallest people in line but we easily ignored the strange looks from the parents. Suddenly I heard snickering and looked over at Two-Bit with his hand over his mouth. "What's so funny?"

"Steve." He said between laughs.

"What about Steve? You think it's funny how whenever he's around us he's always pushing me?"

"Well yeah," I shoved him against the gate but he smiled, "but I was mostly laughing at his comment about how I manage to stay with you." I thought about that too. _Everyone does think it's odd that he almost gets bruises whenever he's around me and that I'm more likely to call him an idiot than his actual name._

"Well why did you think it was funny?"

"He just doesn't get that beneath those bruises you give, you love me." I looked over and he smiled sincerely. I tried to retort but for once nothing came to mind. "Admit it. You love me." He said putting his arm around my waist.

"All right." His smiled widened and he squeezed me slightly. "You knucklehead." I finished, pushing him off me. He took my hand not carrying the panda as he climbed over the steel guide and pulled me to follow. I climbed over and we returned to the food stand, our natural environment.


	17. Ferris Wheel (Carnival 5 of 5)

Jena POV

"We should meet up with the gang soon." I said, looking at the time. Sodapop nodded and cleared our trash from our snack. We walked over to the Freak Out and quickly figured out that we were the last people that showed up to our meeting spot.

"If you two were any later, I would have sent a search party." Darry said, giving us his best "dad" look. I laughed slightly.

"We still have some time, let's ride this, and then the Ferris wheel." Angela said excitedly. The rest of the gang nodded and we got in the short line to the ride. I gripped Sodapop's hand tightly, not exactly wanting to go on the ride, but not wanting to chicken out either. Angela was bouncing on her toes excitedly, standing at the front of our group with Johnny. Two-Bit and Emily stood right behind her and Two-Bit was holding the giant stuffed panda. Darry stood tall behind them and looked around at all of us. Rachel and Ponyboy stood behind Darry, and Steve and Dally stood right behind them. Sodapop and I brought up the rear.

"You're cutting off my circulation, doll." Sodapop told me.

"Sorry." I loosened my grip slightly.

"Getting cold feet there Jena?" Two-Bit laughed.

"No." I said, my voice quivering.

"You're not going to wimp out on us are you?" Steve asked, punching my shoulder.

"Yeah, this isn't as bad as being locked in a basement." Emily said, trying to reassure me. Ponyboy smirked slightly. "And after this we'll all do whatever you want." I smiled.

"You'll be fine." Angela said. Rachel patted me on the back.

"If you can drink hard lemonade at sixteen then you can handle this wimpy ride." Dally said. Johnny chuckled.

"I always thought you were more of a daredevil than Miss Angela over here. Are you proving me wrong?" Two-Bit said. I groaned slightly and rubbed my forehead.

"You know you don't have to do this." Darry finally said as we walked onto the platform.

"Too late!" Dally said, shoving me in to the seat. _Ow! That hurt. A lot. _Before I could get up Johnny closed the restraint on me. _Seriously? Of all people to do that, Johnny was the last person I would expect to trap me in my seat like this._ He gave me a thumbs up before finding his seat.

"You're going to be fine. I'm right here." Sodapop said as he sat down to my left. Steve sat to my right and glanced over to make sure I wasn't having a panic attack. Angela sat directly across from me between Johnny and Dally. She smiled encouragingly at me between looking from Dally and Johnny, annoyed. Rachel sat to one side between Ponyboy and Darry, and Emily sat on the other next to Two-Bit.

"Clear." The ride operator said as he lowered the floor. Sodapop patted my hand reassuringly and the ride began swinging slightly. I looked across at Angela, who was smiling widely. I felt my stomach drop every time we swung towards the ground. Finally, it became too much and I had to close my eyes. When the ride ended, my eyes were still closed.

"You okay?" Darry asked as he pulled me from my seat.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I responded, wobbling slightly. Soda took my hand and Angela linked her arm with mine and held Johnny's hand.

"You survived!" Emily cheered once we walked off the rickety ramp. "So a promise is a promise, what do you want to do?"

"Let's just go on the Ferris wheel." I said.

"You sure you're okay?" Sodapop asked me.

"I'm sure. But I won't be doing that again for a long time." I sighed, nearly tripping over my own feet.

"I have never seen someone that pale in my life. I was afraid she passed out on the ride." Johnny laughed as we got in line. I settled myself under Sodapop's arm and waited for our turn to get into one of the carts.

"So who's sitting with who?" Rachel asked.

"Jena and Steve can sit with me." Sodapop said. Steve nodded and came over to stand by us.

"I'll sit with Johnny." Dally said, and then he looked over to see Johnny and Angela holding hands. "And Angela."

"I'll sit with Emmy here." Two-Bit said, wrapping his arm around her neck.

"Hey, young guns, mind if I sit with you?" Darry laughed. Rachel and Ponyboy shook their heads.

Slowly, we began loading onto the ride. Emily and Two-Bit got on the first cart, Angela, Dally, and Johnny got on the second. Steve, Soda, and I got in after them and the others got in after us. The ride moved quite slowly when we were still loading, so we had plenty of time just to look around and enjoy the different perspectives.

"I'M ON TOP OF THE WORLD." Two-Bit shouted above us, resulting in everyone laughing.

"Get down and shut up you moron! No one wants to see you flailing your limbs." Emily shouted. Their cart began shaking slightly and I heard Two-Bit laughing.

We slowly began to move again, and our cart ended up on top. Sodapop looked at me and pulled me closer to him. I tilted my face up and gave him a gentle kiss before we began coasting down as the ride finally started.


	18. Jumped

**December 7, 1968**

Darry POV

"Hey Darry. Have you seen Jena?" Angela asked over the phone, not even giving me the chance to say hello.

"No. Why?"

"She was supposed to be home two and a half hours ago. I called the beauty parlor and no one answered..." Angela trailed off and took a deep, shaky breath.

"I'm sorry, Ang. I don't know where she could be. I'll stick around here in case she comes over."

"Okay. I'm going to drive around and look for her." Angela said. "Keep an eye out for her, okay?"

"Will do." I said as Angela hung up the phone. _Jena's missing? I hope everything is all right._ I returned to reading the newspaper, and wondered what happened to my brother's fiancèe. The door creaked open and I looked up from my newspaper. I recognized a petite figure walking into the house. I took a closer look and recognized it to be Jena. _What is she doing here?_

"Jena? What are you doing here? Angela's looking for you." I set down the paper. She closed the door and turned around, and I finally got a good look at her face. "What happened?!" I asked urgently as I got up.

"Some drunk guy jumped me." She said simply, looking really pale. She had an ugly gash on her cheek that began to drip off her chin. Her one sleeve was cut and blood lined one of her fingers.

"Come on." I said as I took Jena's right hand and pulled her to the couch.

"Ouch." She groaned, grabbing her shoulder, the whole area covered in blood. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair before walking over to the bathroom to get the first aid kit. When I returned, Jena leaned her head back onto the couch and her eyes were closed. _Did she faint?_

"Jena? Are you okay?" She shook her head slightly. _Good, she's awake._

"Ça fait mal." She groaned.

"I know it hurts, but I need you to stay awake for me. Okay?" She nodded and I began cleaning the cut on her cheek. "So who jumped you?"

"A drunk guy." Jena answered shortly, keeping her eyes averted from her injuries.

"A Stingray?" _So far they've been leaving us alone, but that always could change._

"No. Just some random guy off the street."

"Did he pull a blade on you?" She nodded and I sighed. "Where were you coming from alone?"

"Work."

"Work?" _What nineteen year old has to work until around midnight?_

"I wasn't expecting it to be so late." I taped some gauze to Jena's cheek and turned my attention to her shoulder.

"Are you wearing anything under your blouse?" I used my palm to apply pressure to her shoulder while I figured out what to do.

"A tank top." She sighed.

"I need to unbutton the first few buttons of your blouse so I can get to the wound." Jena nodded slightly and I put some gauze on her shoulder as I rummaged around in the first aid kit, looking for a needle. "I need to stitch this up." I said apologetically, her face instantly changed to one of horror. I could feel her fear and tension.

"I'll be right back." I walked into the kitchen and poured a shot of vodka. "I'm going to give you a shot of vodka. It's going to help numb the pain a bit and you'll fall asleep." I explained to Jena. She nodded and I helped her drink the shot. I waited a couple minutes for the alcohol to hit her before I proceeded with stitching her up. The cut was pretty deep and, from the looks of it, he may have hit an artery. After I finished stitching, I wrapped gauze around her shoulder and tied it off.

I left Jena's shirt unbuttoned so I could easily clean and dress her shoulder again later, and moved on to the long cut on her arm.

"You know, Sodapop's probably going to flip if he comes home and sees this." I told Jena as I thought about my brother. _He would hate himself for not being around. Ever since he proposed to her, he has never wanted to leave her side._ She nodded tiredly as I cleaned and bandaged the rest of her more minor cuts. "You lay down. I'm going to call your house and say you're over here. You know, Angela's driving around town looking for you..." Just then there was a quick knock on the door. I knew immediately it was Angela.

"Hey come in." I said. "Jena's laying on the couch. Some drunk guys got her it looks like."

"That's not good at all. Is she okay?" Angela rushed inside and crouched next to her sister.

"They really cut her up, but she should be fine. I had to stitch up her shoulder so I gave her some vodka." I said.

"I guess I can allow that in this circumstance. Can you help me take her to the car?" Angela helped her sister sit up.

"Sure." I watched as Angela grabbed Jena by her right arm. "Careful. That's the arm I had to stitch." Angela nodded.

"Come on. We're going home." Angela said softly as we both helped Jena up. She was very unsteady on her feet as we walked her to the door.

"I got this Ang." I said as I lifted my future sister in law bridal style. I carried her out to the car and Angela opened the door for me to set Jena down. "Next time you're out this late, call any of us. Even Dally. We would rather be out late and know you got home safe than find out you've been jumped again." I told Jena. She nodded tiredly as I closed the passenger side door.

"Thanks for fixing her up." Angela smiled.

"No problem. If you need anything, call me." I smiled as Angela got in the car and backed it out of the driveway. "Stay safe!" I called before heading back inside. I began putting the first aid kit away and scrubbing blood off the couch. _I should probably tell my brother about this when he gets home so he doesn't have a heart attack later_.


	19. Bachelorette

**Before I go into the chapter I just want to preface this with, yes, I am aware that this story's writing is not that great and just total fluff. I spend most of my days in class writing formal essays and paper, and I need time to write what I want, no matter how dumb. I started this as a project with my best friend as stress relief and a creative outlet, and now I'm compiling everything we wrote so we can both look back on it. **

**The nice thing about fan fiction is, if you don't like it, I'm not in any way shape or form making you read it. Just click away. It won't hurt my feelings. And for those of you who genuinely like what I'm writing, that's awesome. Thanks to the readers who enjoy stress free fluffy writing as much as I do. Enjoy!**

**September 13, 1969**

Jena POV

"So what do you want to do tonight?" I looked across the room where Angela was standing by the half wall.

"I don't know."

"It's your last night as a single lady. Let's have a girls night. I'll even break out some of our good wine." Angela said, smiling, as she pulled me off the couch. "So what are you in the mood for?" Angela pulled out some take out menus and spread them out in front of me.

"We haven't had Chinese in a while, and I could go for some ginger garlic shrimp." I said. Angela nodded and dialed the number to place our order. I got out a few candles, set them on the table, and lit them.

"I'm going to go pick up the food." Angela informed me as soon as she hung up.

"Did someone say food?" Rachel and Emily appeared, seemingly out of no where, and sat down at the table. I could hear Angela laughing as she put on her shoes and walked out.

"So how does it feel knowing that you're going to be a married woman at this time tomorrow?" Rachel asked as she patted my shoulder.

"It's so surreal. It feels like just yesterday Soda and I met." I leaned back in my chair and watched the candle flame dance. The girls and I sat in comfortable silence as we waited for Angela to return with the food.

"I'm back!" Angela called as she carried in a bag full of food. Rachel took the bag from her arms and began unpacking the takeout containers and setting them on the table. Angela pulled the cork from the bottle of wine and poured some into four glasses. I smiled as she handed me my glass and took a sip before setting it down and serving myself some food.

"It's going to be weird not having you around anymore." Angela said as she grabbed another fork from the drawer.

"I'm getting married, not moving to Alaska. You'll still see me around." I stabbed a piece of shrimp with my fork.

"Yeah, but we've all been living together for four years now. It's going to be weird to not see you everyday."

"I can say the same to you girls though. But at least we won't be living too far from each other. I'm only a little down the road from Steve which is only a few miles from here." I smiled before taking another bite of food.

"Remember when Jena ran into that table at my grad party and managed to cover herself in food?" Rachel asked as we all got our food. I dropped my fork as I began laughing.

"Yeah, I had that huge bruise on my back for weeks. What about the time I dyed Angela's hair red?" Angela rolled her eyes and snickered slightly.

"I so would've killed you if that dye was permanent."

"Yeah, and when I walked into the house I thought you were slowly turning into Axel." Emily laughed and then took a small sip of her wine before making a face. "What about that time we were all playing capture the flag in the front yard and Jena ran straight into Darry's truck? I mean, how do you miss a huge truck?"

"She was too distracted by Steve and Soda playing tug of war with Steve's DX shirt." Angela remarked. We continued eating, recalling many of our funny memories of each other. When I finished my food, I reached for a fortune cookie. The other girls quickly followed suit.

"A sense of humor makes everything better." Emily read out loud. "What does yours say?"

"Success involves hard work and a little good luck." Angela replied quickly, smiling slightly at her fortune.

"You speak of beauty to your listeners." Rachel said slowly as she folded the tiny slip of paper and put it in her pocket. "What about you, Jena?"

I looked down at my fortune. "Eternal happiness is right around the corner." I smiled. "How did they know I was getting married tomorrow?" The other girls laughed before our eyes fell onto the last fortune cookie.

"So who's going to open that one?" Emily asked, eyeing the cookie.

"It's all yours." I smiled, knowing how much she loves those crunchy little cookies. Emily cracked the cookie open.

"You will receive a goat." Emily's face twisted in confusion. "What on God's green earth is that supposed to mean?" We all laughed as Emily began munching on the cookie. After she finished, we all took our dishes to the sink and sprawled out in the living room for a Star Trek marathon. Angela laid out the snacks as I smiled as I enjoyed my last night of living with the girls. _There is never going to be anyone else quite like them._


	20. White Wedding

**September 14, 1969**

Jena POV

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I looked over at Angela in the chair next to me.

"Positive." I replied simply.

"You're only twenty. You have your whole life ahead of you."

"And being married isn't going to stop me from living my life." I winced a little when Margaret stuck a hair pin straight into my head.

"You girls are good to go. Have a wonderful day!" My boss told us. Angela, Rachel, Emily and I got out of our seats and paid for our hair styles. We walked outside and got into our car as quickly as possible and drove back to our house to do our makeup and nails.

"Okay, so natural faces and french tips sound good to everyone?" I asked as I shook a bottle of light pink nail polish.

"Sounds fine." Angela said as we sat around the coffee table. I carefully painted everyone's nails and allowed Angela and Rachel to do my nails.

"Let's put on our dresses before we put on the makeup." Angela suggested. Emily rolled her eyes.

"But they're _pink_. And they're _dresses_. And I don't want to wear mine." Angela lightly slapped Emily.

"Just make Jena happy okay? If you get married you can make everyone wear jeans if that makes you happy."

"Ugh. Fine." Emily flailed her hands in the air and stalked off to her room to put on her dress. I sat on the couch and waited until my three almost sisters returned. When they came back, I had them all sit on the couch while I quickly did their makeup.

"Jena, sit down and relax. All right?" Angela said as she pushed me into an armchair. "This is your wedding day and all you've done is work to make sure we look good." She picked up my foundation and squirted it on the back of her hand, like she had seen me do many times. I leaned back and closed my eyes and let her paint it on my face. Before I knew it, I had actually fallen asleep.

"Jena, wake up." I opened my eyes to find Angela's crystal blue ones. "You still have to put on your dress." I nodded my head and followed her into our room. She helped me put on my dress and zipped it in the back. She used some bobby pins to secure my veil on my head and handed me my bouquet of white roses.

"You look just like a princess." She breathed while fluffing up my skirt. I adjusted my sweetheart top slightly. I turned around and hugged her, trying my best not to cry. We broke apart when we heard a knock on the door.

"Are you girls ready?" I heard Darry call.

"Just a minute." Angela called back as she handed me my white heels. I carefully put them on and she picked up a silver necklace from the dresser. "Remember this?"

"Of course I do. You gave me that necklace to me when I was in the hospital after the socs kidnapped me." She clasped the necklace around my neck and I fingered the silver treble clef.

"Well, this isn't the exact one I got you. That one got badly tarnished, but I went to the jewelery store to get a replica made." She centered the pendant, and stood back a little. "It's real silver with rose quartz and synthetic diamonds."

"Thank you so much."

"It's your wedding present." Angela smiled, hugging me back. "I think we should probably get going before people think you got cold feet." She laughed. Angela gently picked up my train and veil as I walked into the living room. Two-Bit let out a low whistle.

"Sodapop sure is lucky to have you." He remarked.

"I'm lucky to have him."

It took all four of us girls to hike my dress up and help me get out of the house and into Darry's truck. Two-Bit drove the girls behind us.

"Sodapop couldn't sit still all day today." Darry told me as we drove.

"I can imagine."

"He really loves you."

"And I love him." We returned to driving in silence.

When we turned a corner and I could see the church steeple. My heart pounded in my chest. _I don't know why I'm so nervous. _Darry parked in the back parking lot and Two-Bit's brakes squealed as he parked next to him. The girls got out of the car, careful not to let their dresses drag on the ground. I carefully hopped down from Darry's truck and went inside the church to the small bride's room.

The door burst open and Dally was standing in the doorway, buttoning his shirt.

"Have you seen Sodapop?"

"I'm not supposed to see him. Remember?" I said, laughing. "But he is probably in the chapel behind the altar." I added.

"Okay thanks." Dally slammed the door shut and I could hear him running down the hall.

The door opened again a few minutes later, this time Darry poked his head in.

"We're ready whenever you are." He told me. I nodded and carefully stood up.

Angela grabbed me by the arm and paused. "Well, this is it." She said, spreading the veil over my shoulders.

"No going back." I said, my voice shaky.

"Like you would even want to do that." She said, rolling her eyes. I tried to laugh, but my nerves prevented me from doing more than giving her a small smile. Angela wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me, dispelling some of my nerves. "You know if you're ready for this."

"I am."

"Whatever happens now,"

"I'll have Sodapop by my side." Angela smiled, kissed her hand placed it on my cheek, making sure not to smear any of my make up.

"I love you sis."

"I love you too."

As Darry held out his arm for me, I tried not to dig my nails into his jacket. _If I'm gonna pass out from nerves at least he can catch me._

As I stood outside the sanctuary door, I could hear the end of the prelude music and the beginning of "Te Deum," the song Soda and I picked for the wedding party to walk down to. As Angela walked through the double doors, I knew the time was near for me to meet my future husband. The end note of the song resonated as the piano player switched the music to "Canon in D," the song I have always wanted to walk down the aisle to.

"You ready?" Darry asked me. I nodded nervously as the double doors swung open and we began walking down the aisle. The groom's side was completely full of Sodapop's friends and extended family, but my side only had one full pew with Ethel and a couple of my friends from school and work. I directed my gaze towards Sodapop, watching as he tried to wipe away a few tears. Finally, our walk down the aisle ended and I was united with Sodapop.

"Take care of her." Darry whispered to Sodapop as he shook his hand and went to his seat.

The readings went straight over my head, I was too busy being nervous for the marriage itself.

Finally the time had come. The priest, wedding party, Sodapop, and I all stood.

"My dear friends, you have come together in this church so that the Lord may seal and strengthen your love in the presence of the Church's minister and this community. Christ abundantly blesses this love. He has already consecrated you in baptism and now he enriches and strengthens you by a special sacrament so that you may assume the duties of marriage in mutual and lasting fidelity. And so, in the presence of the Church, I ask you to state your intentions. Sodapop and Jena, have you come here freely and without reservation to give yourselves to each other in marriage?"

"We have."

"Will you love and honor each other as man and wife for the rest of your lives?"

"We will."

"Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?"

"We will."

"Since it is your intention to enter into marriage, join your hands, and declare your consent before God and his Church." Sodapop and I joined hands, he squeezed mine slightly, trying to help me relax.

"I, Sodapop Patrick Curtis, take you, Jena Marie Holden, to be my wife, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

"I, Jena Marie Holden, take you, Sodapop Patrick Curtis, to be my husband, my constant friend, my faithful partner and my love from this day forward. In the presence of God, our family and friends, I offer you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, and to cherish you for as long as we both shall live. " I choked up slightly, and a lone tear began sliding down my face. Sodapop let go of one of my hands to wipe the tear.

"You have declared your consent before the Church. May the Lord in his goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with his blessings. What God has joined, men must not divide."

We responded with a solid "Amen."

The priest took our rings and raised his eyes to heaven. "Lord, bless and consecrate Sodapop and Jena in their love for one another, and always remind them of their love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

"Jena, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen." Sodapop gently slid the silver wedding band onto my finger.

"Sodapop, take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen." My hand shook as I tried to slide the ring on Sodapop's finger.

"I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Curtis. You may now kiss your bride." Sodapop and I locked lips, and this kiss was different than all the others, there was more feeling and passion in it than I had ever felt. He dipped me as the congregation laughed, and pulled me close after we broke apart. We faced our guests and everyone in the church began clapping. _I'm Sodapop's wife. I'm married!_ The Wedding March began to play and we all made our way back up the aisle. Sodapop and I got in the back of Steve's car and he drove us through town to the local theater we were having our reception.

The lead singer of the band we hired announced the first dance and Sodapop and I made our way to the dance floor.

"Wise men say, only fools rush in, but I can't help falling in love with you." Sodapop and I swayed in a small circle together basking in each other's presence. We were finally married and there was nothing that could ruin our perfect happiness. At the end of the song, Sodapop kissed me again, and I knew that we were truly meant to be together till death do us part.


	21. European Honeymoon

Sodapop POV

_What am I going to do?_ I racked my brain to think of something special for Jena. She told me she always dreamed of her honeymoon going to Europe..._that's it!_

"Jena." I whispered into her ear. She rolled over, slowly opening her eyes. I kissed her gently to ensure she's awake.

"What babe?" She mumbled sleepily. She had never been much of a morning person.

"I'm going to need you to stay here until I fetch you."

"Couldn't you have left a note?" She asked, kissing me back. I shook my head and she rolled her eyes before lying down again.

I ran out so she could return to sleep and headed to the local store. I retrieved everything I needed and returned to our room. I set up everything and cracked open the door. She still seemed asleep. I slipped in and grabbed a change of clothes. I snuck into her bag, set out an outfit, and left a note. I returned to my surprise and knocked on the door. I heard her get up and some shuffling.

"Sodapop." She called behind the door. "I'm ready." I opened the door and she gasped.

"Bonjour ma petite mademoiselle." I attempted to say as I bowed to her. I escorted her to the indoor, European picnic brunch, handing her a glass of wine.

"Bonjour mon amour." She smiled, taking the glass.

"How do you know French?" Jena simply smiled. _I can barely remember the French I took when I was in high school._

"My grandmother spoke it fluently. I learned from her." She looked around our hotel room. "You did this?"

"Oui." I smile giving her a fruit crepe.

"Wow." She smiled. "Je t'aime Sodapop." She smiled kissing me, leaving her ruby red lipstick on my cheek.

"I love you too Jena." I kissed her back, wrapping my arm around her waist.


	22. Surprise!

**September 30, 1969**

Jena POV

"Feel better, hun. I'll see you later." Soda kissed my forehead and headed off to work. I pulled the comforter tighter around me and tried to fall back asleep, but I couldn't. I slipped out of bed and went down to the kitchen to make myself a hot cup of tea. I sat down on the couch and the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Jena. Sodapop said you weren't feeling well." Angela's voice on the other end of the phone was comforting and I leaned back into the couch slightly.

"Yeah. I've been pretty nauseous lately and have had really bad headaches."

"Are you on your period?" I thought back to the last time I had my period. _Not since two weeks before the wedding._ I almost dropped the phone. "Jena? Are you all right?"

"Angela, I need you to do me a favor. Could you run down to the drugstore and buy me a pregnancy test?" I began feeling butterflies in my stomach.

"You think you're pregnant? You just got married a few weeks ago." I could practically see Angela's half confused and half annoyed face.

"Please, Angela." I almost begged.

"I'll be over in twenty minutes." Angela sighed.

"Thanks." I hung up the phone and began pacing around the living room. _Pregnant. Mother. Baby. Family._ The four words repeated over and over in my head and I couldn't decide if I was more excited or scared. _Probably some of both._

Angela let herself into the house, set down her shopping bag, and hugged me.

"Let's just get it over with." I sighed as I took the small box into the bathroom. I read the instructions twice before I finally took the test. When I finished, I set the stick on the counter by the sink and returned to the living room.

"We need to wait for five minutes." I said as I sat down next to Angela.

"All right." She looked up at the clock.

"Would you like something to drink? I could make you a cup of tea or something."

"No thanks."

Even though we only had to wait five minutes, it felt like we waited five hours instead. Finally, the moment of truth came.

"Want me to come with you?" I nodded my head and Angela gently took my hand and led me to the bathroom. I picked up the test and studied it carefully. _Positive._

"It's positive." I said slowly, my eyes becoming wider. Angela's mouth dropped open.

"You have to tell Sodapop." She breathed.

"Tonight." I said quietly, more to myself than to her.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" Angela asked quietly.

"No. You have classes today, and I need a little time to myself." She nodded her head and turned to the door. "And don't tell anyone." I called after her.

"Honey, I'm home!" Soda called as he walked in. I giggled slightly as I took dinner out of the oven.

"Just in time too. I just took the eggplant parmesan out of the oven."

"Smells good." Sodapop hugged me from behind and kissed my temple. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes." I said simply.

"Good. I'm going to change and then we can eat, all right?" I nodded my head as Soda released me and ran upstairs.

"Jena? What's this?" I smiled to myself, knowing he had found the pregnancy test on our dresser.

"I don't know honey. What is it?" I called, playing dumb.

Sodapop came downstairs shirtless with the test in his hand and set it on the counter in front of me.

"I - I'm pregnant." I said quietly.

"What?"

"Nous allons être parents. We're going to be parents." I said slightly louder. Sodapop pulled me into a bone crushing hug and spun me around the kitchen.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too."

Sodapop nearly ran me over trying to get to the phone.

"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to push him into the armchair.

"I have to tell Darry." He nearly yelled at me. He lost his balance and I managed to get him seated.

"No you don't. We shouldn't tell anyone until three months."

"Ugh. Fine." He looked at me with puppy eyes got back up I gently kissed his lips. He pulled me into his lap and one of his hands wandered down to my stomach and rested there. "I'm going to be a daddy." He said softly, his voice cracking a bit. "I love you both."


	23. Merry Christmas!

**December 24, 1969**

Jena POV

"Merry Christmas!" I hugged my brothers-in-law and hung their coats in the closet. I returned to the kitchen with the girls and could see the guys in the living room watching television.

"How are you feeling?" Angela whispered to me.

"Pretty good." I whispered back. I pulled the Christmas ham out of the oven and set it on the counter, right next to my vegetarian pasta. Angela finished mashing the garlic and Parmesan potatoes, and Rachel poured the cooked carrots out of the pot and into a big serving dish. Emily set a pile of plates and silverware one one end of the counter, so we could serve ourselves.

"Dinner's ready." I called. The guys slowly got up and Soda turned off the television.

Two-Bit went straight over to the food.

"Wash your hands first." Angela said, her back to Two-Bit.

"Fine, Mom." Two-Bit groaned. "Starve me." Angela rolled her eyes as she took her apron off.

"You'd think by now he would have grown up." She sighed, shaking her head.

"It's a wonder that I still tolerate him." Emily laughed.

The boys returned and lined up to get their food. Dinner was loud, as always. Everyone was in such a good mood and it had been a while since the whole gang got together like this.

After dinner, the girls and I returned to the kitchen to wash dishes while the guys all sat down in the family room and opened a bottle of wine.

"Do you want a glass of wine, girls?" Darry called, mostly to me and Angela.

"I'll just take a sip from Johnny's." Angela called back. "No use in dirtying another glass."

"All right. What about you, Jena?"

"I think I'll pass on this one." I said quietly. Usually if there was a bottle of wine open, I almost always had a glass, so this was probably odd behavior to everyone.

"All right." Darry said uncertainly.

Once the leftovers were safely in the fridge, and all the dishes were put away, the girls and I went into the living room and sat with our significant others. I rested my head on Sodapop's shoulder and watched as everyone opened their presents.

"We saved the best presents for last, so if you guys will sit tight for a few minutes we shall be back." Soda said as he and I got off the couch and went to our bedroom. We returned with a garbage bag full of large wrapped boxes, and began distributing them throughout the group. Everyone shook the boxes and tried to guess what could be inside. I lightly swatted away Two-Bit's hand when he tried to open his prematurely.

"You can open them now." I instructed. The gang tore into their boxes and quickly became confused when they were met with an assortment of pacifiers, baby bottles, and diapers. There was a long minute of silence as everyone tried to figure out what was going on.

"Why does that say 'I have the best Aunt'?" Johnny asked taking Angela's gift. She looked over at me but said nothing. I glanced at Darry, who was holding a pacifier in one hand and a onesie that said 'You can't beat me, I got a cool uncle'. It was hard to describe the expression because it was so mixed.

"Is Jena pregnant?" He asked softly, staring at me and his brother.

"Yes." Sodapop beamed, placing his hand on my small baby bump.

Emily simply stared at me. "Seriously?" I nodded. She continued to stare at me, not showing much emotion. Rachel got up and sprinted over to give me a huge hug and nearly knocked me over. Sodapop placed one hand on my back to steady me.

"Wait, you did it?" Two-Bit asked completely oblivious. Emily turned to him and picked up a box and whomped him over the head.

"You dolt! They're having a baby!"

"Great job Sodapop." Steve said smiling. He held out his fist and Sodapop bumped him.

Dally simply threw the baby stuff back into the box, and smiled at us. He gave Soda a thumbs up when he thought I wasn't looking.

"I'll babysit for you guys whenever you need it." Johnny offered.

"Thanks. We might just take you up on that." I said smiling.

"We're going to be uncles." Ponyboy said, looking like he was about to cry. He studied the onsie we bought for him that said 'I have the smartest uncle ever'.

"Oh come here you guys." I said as Soda and I opened our arms for a hug. Everyone walked over and joined in our group hug, even Dally. Everyone began congratulating me and Sodapop and Angela led a toast for us.

"Congratulations to Jena and Sodapop. We knew some day they would have a kid, just maybe not so soon." Everyone laughed. "We also know that their lives will be filled with laughter and tears, but they will always have each other and their family."

Afterwards I took out the icecream, bubble gum and blue moon flavored, and dished it out.

Sodapop and I sat down on the loveseat.

"Hey, there's something over your head." Dally said. Sodapop and I looked up to find mistletoe attached to fishing line over our heads. We laughed and shared a kiss.

"Steve, toss some of that over here." Two-Bit said as he looked at Emily and puckered up. She put her hand over his mouth and he turned away disappointedly. We all burst into laughter, happy to enjoy this night together.


	24. Wild Stories

**April 4, 1970**

Steve POV

"Hey, come on in." Jena opened the door for me and beamed.

"How are you doing?" I asked as I took off my jacket and entered the living room. Sodapop was sitting on the couch reading a magazine.

"I'm doing well." Jena smiled. "All right boys, if you want to eat you have to help me out." Jena announced, rubbing her seven month pregnant stomach.

"What do you need me to do, hun?" Soda asked as he followed Jena into the kitchen.

"Actually, we forgot a few things when we went to the store. Could you run and get them?" She grabbed an index card and began scribbling down the things she needed.

"Of course sweetheart." She handed the list off to Sodapop. "I'll be back." He announced as he walked out the door.

"So what do you need me to do?" I asked. Jena jumped slightly, causing me to burst out laughing.

"Geez, scare me half to death why don't ya?" She rested her hand on her heart. "So what are you good at?"

"I don't really cook." I admitted.

"Well it's never too late to learn." Jena took out two chef's knives. "Help me chop these vegetables." She took out a bunch of vegetables and put them on the counter. I turned the knife around in my hand slowly. "What, is a big bad greaser afraid of a knife?" I quickly shook my head and slowly began cutting up a carrot.

"How do you manage not to cut yourself on those knives? Soda's told me many times how clumsy you are."

"I try to be very careful, but sometimes the knife still slips." We continued chopping in silence.

"Ouch. Damn it." I looked down as a few droplets of blood came out of my finger.

"Just wash it off and put on a bandaid." Jena said, taking the chopped vegetables off my board and putting them in the pot. I walked into the bathroom and ran the tap, trying to wash the cut. However, the bleeding wasn't letting up.

"It looks really deep, Jena." I said coming back into the kitchen. I held my finger up to her, but she simply pushed it away and turned around to fill a pot with water.

"What do you want me to do about it?"

"I don't know. What am I supposed to do?" I looked at her face and remembered that expression from after the rumble. _Crap. Sodapop would kill me of she passed out from the blood._

"Wash and bandage it. It'll stop bleeding eventually." I walked back to the bathroom and returned a minute later with a newly bandaged finger.

"Better?" She asked, finally looking at me.

"Yes."

"Do you mind peeling some potatoes?" I shook my head and Jena handed me six potatoes and a peeler.

"Honey, I'm home!" Sodapop called, carrying in a sack of groceries. He gave Jena a peck on the cheek and unloaded the bag. She began setting up to make some fried chicken while Soda began cutting the potatoes that I was peeling.

As soon as everything was cooked, Jena began putting the food on plates and called us for dinner.

"This looks really good, Jena." I remarked, looking at my plate.

"If you want, I'll send some of the leftovers home with you." I nodded my head and took a forkful of the mashed potatoes.

"Did you look at cribs yet for the twins?" Sodapop asked Jena. I sighed, hoping they wouldn't spend the rest of the night talking about their children.

"I was planning on going this weekend so you could come with me." Sodapop nodded. "So how's the station doing?"

"Not too bad. There was this crazy lady who came in the other day though." I said with my mouth full.

"Really?" I swallowed and continued.

"Yeah. She was yelling at me because she thought I overcharged her for gas, which I didn't. And once I got that through her head she started yelling at me for gas prices. I don't have any control over that sort of thing." I looked over at Sodapop who was smirking.

"Oh come on Steve. She couldn't be as bad as that one kid we helped out last year." Sodapop said putting his fork down. "This man drove up to the DX, put his car in park and came up to the counter. I look out the window and his bumper is on the ground and three of his tires are flat. I ask him if he needs help with his car and he suddenly insists that there's nothing wrong with it and that all he needs to do is get to his place ten miles down the road. I spent the next half hour stalling him as Steve here managed to fix the wheels, bumper and about five other problems with the car. Eventually he bought a candy bar and threw a couple dollars at me so I would shut up."

"Didn't he crash two blocks down?" I asked, suppressing a laugh.

"Naw he made it, still thinking his car was in perfect condition." He chortled, banging the table slightly.

"Well if you think that's bad you could never work at a beauty salon." Jena commented casually once we cooled off.

"Yeah, all I could do is grease their hair." I said, laughing again.

"I mean customers. One time this lady came in when I was still a beauty student. She started out as completely normal, just wanting a trim and a perm, but got progressively weirder as the appointment went on. She took off her shoes basically as soon as she sat down and halfway through the appointment she produced a sandwich and began eating it as I was rolling her hair in the curlers. Apparently I wasn't rolling them tight enough for her because she began yelling at me and said she hoped I failed beauty school. Then she just ran out with half her hair in curlers, the hair cutting smock still around her, and wearing only socks on her feet." Jena laughed, resting her hands on her stomach.

"That didn't happen." Sodapop laughed.

"Well your stories were obviously fake. Mine was actually true... Mostly." Jena began laughing so hard she was crying. Once she recovered she started picking up the plates.

"I'll do that Jena." I said taking her small pile to the kitchen.

"Really?"

"I should do something to repay you two for this fun night." Jena smiled and sat down.

"I'll just wrap you a plate of food to take home." Jena offered.

"Thanks for having me over." I said as we stood next to each other in the kitchen.

"Thanks for coming." She wrapped up a healthy plate of leftovers and handed it to me as I headed out the door. "Stop by anytime."

"I will." I smiled and gave Jena a quick hug before running down the steps and walking down the street to my house.


	25. They're Here

**June 29, 1970**

Jena POV

"Good night beautiful, and good night my babies." Sodapop said as he kissed my lips and then kissed my stomach twice. He rolled over and rested his hand on my stomach.

"They want out." He looked at me and bit his lip. I could feel two sets of legs kicking me.

"I know and they will be any day now." Sodapop nodded as he rubbed his hand on my belly. "Daddy can't wait to see you." He cooed. I felt a sharp pain and I gasped. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." I breathed as the pain left, wondering if I was in labor. I laid in bed for a few hours, still having the pain wash over me and then subside as quickly as it came, before I feeling the pain every few minutes. I didn't want to wake Soda if I didn't have to yet, I could handle the beginning of labor on my own. I took a slow breath out as the pain subsided. I got out of bed and walked around the room, eventually realizing I was going to have to wake Sodapop.

"Soda?" I whispered, sitting down on the edge of the bed. I heard him mumble sleepily before rolling over and turning on the light.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, staring at me.

"I think I'm in labor." I gasped as another sharp pain overcame me. He jerked into a sitting position.

"You're having the babies? Now?"

"Not now, but I've been having contractions."

"I'm going to call Darry and Angela. They would know what to do." Sodapop said as he sprinted out of the bedroom. I slowly followed him, grabbing onto the wall for support. I sat on the couch and watched as Sodapop dialed the phone.

"Hello? Angela? Sorry to call you so late at night . . . We think Jena just went into labor . . . She seems alright, but could you come over? . . . All right. See you soon." His voice sounded slightly panicked, and he kept running his fingers through his hair, a common Curtis brother trait. He hung up the phone and dialed another number.

"Darry . . . Sorry . . . Jena went into labor . . ." I groaned slightly as another contraction hit me. Sodapop looked over at me with a pained expression and the panic in his voice became more evident. "She just had another contraction . . . I don't know, man . . . Yes . . . Thank you. Talk to you in a bit." He quickly put the phone down and sat down on the couch next to me, grasping my hand in his.

"Jena?" I heard Angela call from the door.

"In the living room." Sodapop called back. Angela rushed into the room and knelt on the floor in front of me.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Angela hugged me and then took my other hand and sat on the other side of me.

"Did you call a doctor?" She asked Sodapop after I had another contraction.

"No." He said sheepishly. "It never crossed my mind."

"Well, next time just remember to call a doctor first instead of me. But then again, you won't be as panicked next time."

"I'll be right back." Sodapop said as he gently kissed my temple.

I could hear a heavy set of footsteps enter the house, and knew immediately that Darry had arrived.

"Hello?"

"In the living room." I squeaked, midway through a contraction. Angela rubbed my arm gently. Darry entered the living room wearing jeans and a black t-shirt, basically matching Angela.

"Where's Soda?" He asked looking around.

"Calling the doctor." Angela said, fixing my hair into a messy bun.

"Good." He said turning to me. "You hanging in there, girl?"

"Yeah." I gasped. Sodapop came back into the room and Darry put his arm over his shoulder.

"The doctor said to wait until the contractions are consistently less than four minutes apart or until Jena's water breaks before taking her to the hospital."

"Soda, go get Steve. I think you need some moral support." I said quietly.

"Are you sure?" Sodapop glanced between me and the front hall. I nodded my head. "I'll be fast. I promise." Sodapop was already sprinting out the door, only in his boxers and a white undershirt. In less than five minutes, he returned with a very sleepy and confused Steve.

"Wassup?" He asked tiredly.

"Oh nothing, just in labor." I teased.

"That's nice . . . Wait, what? You're having the babies?" Steve immediately woke up after that.

"Yes." I said curtly, another contraction washed over me, more painful than the ones before. I felt the couch cushion dampen under me. "Uh guys? My water just broke." Sodapop ran both his hands through his hair again, his face paling.

"We need to get her to the hospital." Angela said as she and Darry helped me up. "Go get a couple towels for Jena to sit on the car ride there." She instructed Sodapop. He nodded and raced to the linen closet and returned with a few old towels.

"I'll drive." Steve quickly offered taking Sodapop's keys off the hook. We all got into the car, Steve and Darry in the front and Soda, me, and Angela in the back. Every few seconds someone asked me if I was all right. After what seemed like ages, we made it to the hospital.

It wasn't long after I was admitted that a nurse came in to check my progress.

"Two centimeters dilated." She murmured as she wrote something down in the clipboard.

"Is that good?" Sodapop asked, gripping my hand as I breathed through another contraction.

"It's a start, we need her ten centimeters dilated before we can deliver the babies though." Sodapop nodded as the nurse left the room.

Sodapop, Angela, and I stayed in the room ten hours, with a nurse checking in on me every half hour. Steve and Darry would occasionally make an appearance to bring Angela and Sodapop food, but they left rather quickly when I had a particularly painful contraction.

Finally, my doctor declared that it was time to bring the babies into the world.

"Okay, Mrs. Curtis, we're ready to start pushing. What we're going to do is have you push for ten seconds on the next contraction, then relax. We want to try to do that at least three times per contraction. All right?" The nurse said to me. I nodded my head, grasping Sodapop's hand for support. Angela gently rubbed my shoulder.

"Are you ready?" He asked me.

"Ready as I'll ever be." I looked over and Angela smiled at me reassuringly.

"You got this. Now go." She said, predicting my contraction.

I began pushing at the next contraction, completely focused on the thought that I would soon meet my children for the first time. The pain was completely indescribable. I could hear Sodapop gasp as I gripped his hand with each contraction.

"Baby A has been born, and she looks healthy." A nurse said as she set my daughter on my chest.

I glanced over at Angela. "Took about an hour." She said, anticipating my question. I nodded and looked down at my child.

"She's so perfect." I whispered to Soda.

"Just like her mommy." He whispered back to me. "Welcome to the world Mary Alice Curtis." He said to her, placing his finger on top of her tiny hand. We had decided early on in the pregnancy that if we had a girl she would have Soda's mom's name. Soda looked down at his daughter again with a few tears in his eyes.

"Dad, do you want to cut the cord?" Sodapop got up from his crouched position by my head, followed the nurse's instructions to cut the cord, and quickly returned to his previous spot.

"Okay Jena, just a few more pushes and Baby B will be out." Another nurse said. After about ten more minutes, Patrick Thomas was brought into the world and was placed on my chest right next to his sister. Sodapop cut his cord as well, and Angela sighed in awe as she saw both my babies lying on my chest. Sodapop and I had a few minutes with our children before they were whisked away to be cleaned up and be checked on. Sodapop brought me my nightgown to change into. After I washed up a little bit myself, a nurse brought Patrick and Mary back to the room. They were wrapped in blue and pink blankets, respectively.

"Here you are, Daddy." She said brightly as she gave Sodapop both babies. He held each in one arm, and looked to be on the brink of tears. "Would you guys like me to allow your families in?"

"Yes please." I said as she left the room. Shortly after, Darry and Steve came into the room.

"How are you doing?" Darry asked me.

"I'm fine." I said tiredly.

"She did wonderfully." Sodapop beamed, looking down at his son and daughter.

"May I?" Angela reached her arms towards the babies.

"Of course." Angela gently took Mary out of Sodapop's arms and sat down. She softly began humming a lullaby as she gazed down at Mary, rocking her gently.

"Here Darry." Sodapop said as he gave Patrick to Darry to hold. It warmed my heart to see such a big man holding such a small fragile baby.

"Last time I held a baby was when Ponyboy was born." He said quietly, tearing up slightly. I smiled gently as Angela brought Mary over to me.

"Steve, do you want to hold Mary?" He looked to Sodapop who smiled encouragingly then held out his arms for the baby. I gently placed her in his arms and watched as he stared down at her in awe.

"She's so tiny." He breathed. He held her for another minute before handing her off to Soda.

"Mom and the babies need to get some rest. You can see them again tomorrow." A nurse said as she poked her head in. Steve immediately left the room, and Angela followed moments later after squeezing my hand and hugging Sodapop. Darry placed Patrick in my arms, and gave Sodapop a solid thump on the back as he left the room.

"Congrats you two." He called before closing the door.

"They're actually here." Sodapop breathed as he put Mary in her cradle.

"Yes they are, and they are absolutely perfect." I yawned, all ready drifting off to sleep.

"Bonne nuit mon amour." I said quietly, kissing Patrick on the forehead before handing him to Soda.

"Telling him a secret?" Soda asked, fully knowing I was speaking French to our younger baby.

"Good night my love." I clarified, smiling.

"Good night Jena." Soda said as he kissed my forehead. Before I knew it, I was drifting off to sleep.


	26. A Picnic and Fireworks

**July 4, 1970**

Darry POV

"You look like you could use some help." I looked up from the food I was making to find Angela standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

"Help would be nice." I replied. Angela smiled and walked over, already pushing her sleeves up.

"What do you need me to do?"

"You could frost the cake for me. I'll slice up fruit and mix the potato salad together." I said, gesturing to the cake. Angela nodded, grabbed a knife, and picked up the bowl of frosting.

"This is enough to frost three cakes." She commented, stirring the frosting up again.

"I know. The boys like a lot of icing on their cake." Angela laughed as she began frosting. "So how long have you been over here?"

"Not very long. I drove Em, Rachel, and myself up here maybe ten minutes ago. We went straight to the backyard and said hi to everyone. I asked where you were and they said you were working, so I decided to come in and help you out. I'm surprised no one else offered to help."

"They didn't help me pack the cars when we went camping. What makes you think they'd help me cook?" I laughed. She laughed along and returned to the frosting.

"Those guys though." Angela laughed again as she smoothed out the frosting on side of the cake. "I don't get why they wouldn't help you."

"Well most of them lived by 'every man for himself' unless they were in serious trouble."

"Like the rumbles?" She asked, finishing off the frosting from the bowl.

"Yeah. Especially with the rumbles. I'm just glad that time seems behind us." I watched as Angela added decorative swirls onto the frosting with the knife. She delicately maneuvered the frosting and even added some designs looking like fireworks. _Very appropriate for the occasion._ "And thanks for stopping by and being our nurse all those times. Johnny probably never would have let me stitch that one cut all the way up his forearm." She smiled and licked the frosting off the knife.

"Well I couldn't just let him bleed out. But I never could handle dealing with the gang on a regular basis. They know if they get out of line you'll tie them in a knot." She responded putting the bowl and knife in the sink. "You're such a great leader for them."

"Thank you Angela." I finished draining the potatoes and put them in the bowl with the other ingredients. I capped the bowl, shook up the contents, and put everything in the fridge. I heard a baby cry and a combination of shushing and laughing.

"No." I look back over at Angela, her face shocked.

"What?"

"Did I just hear a baby screaming?" Her voice sounded irritated but her expression registered confusion.

"Yeah, I heard it too. Jena and Sodapop said they'd come over and bring the twins with them." I said nonchalantly as I took out some fruit from the refrigerator.

"What? Why are they here?" _That's definitely an irritated tone._ She looked in the direction of the back yard as we heard childish giggling coming from one of the guys.

"They wanted to introduce everyone to the babies." I explained, grabbing another knife for the fruit.

"They're five days old! You don't bring a five day old to a party." She huffed slightly behind me. I could almost see the hair blowing out of her face from the force of her breath.

"You think she's crazy don't you?" I half laughed as I faced her again.

"I've thought she's been crazy ever since we came to Tulsa. I just still need to accept that it has no bounds." I laughed as Angela shook her head at the thought of Jena. "But I love her." She sighed as I placed the fruit on the table.

"Yeah, I don't know how many times I've had to tell Sodapop to keep his clothes on." Angela tried to suppress a laugh but eventually couldn't contain it. Her laugh became contagious and I couldn't help but join in. We eventually calmed down and got back to preparing the food.

"Wow. I'm so glad I don't have a brother. I thought dealing with Jena's antics, Emily eating every speck of food in the house, and Rachel going AWOL to read or write was a hassle."

"Sodapop's not too bad. I'm just glad Ponyboy's wised up a bit. He isn't so absentminded as he's used to be. He almost forgot his own birthday once." I chuckled slightly and Angela nodded her head. We finished preparing the fruit just as Jena poked her head into the kitchen.

"Hello family!" She called, walking in and hugging Angela. "How are you doing?"

"I think the better question is, how are you and the babies doing?" She asked, not as irritated as before.

"Fabulous." She grinned letting go of Angela. "Everyone loves them and they're doing great. Sodapop was just thinking we should head down to the park to get a good spot for the fireworks." I looked over at the clock and nodded my head.

"All right. Do you mind helping me get everything packed for the walk?" I asked Angela as Jena returned to her bundles.

"Not at all." We quickly got everything packed and I went to the backyard to get everyone.

"We should get moving soon." I announced to the gang. Jena smiled as she finished strapping the twins in their double stroller. "Everyone has to carry something." I said. All the guys walked into the kitchen and grabbed the various plates and bowls of food. I peeked into the stroller at my niece and nephew. "Hi you two." I smiled and gently rubbed their cheeks with my free hand.

Once we arrived at the park Angela rolled out our old picnic blanket we've been using the past five years. Each gang member set down their item and Angela rearranged everything so it was easily accessible. Everyone ate until all that was left was one corn cob and a bit of potato salad.

"How long until the fireworks?" Dally yawned as we bagged up the trash.

"Not for another fifteen minutes." Johnny said looking over at Angela's watch.

"Wake me up when that happens." He said walking over to a nearby tree.

"I don't know Dally, if the fireworks themselves don't wake you up, nothing will." Two-Bit said causing almost everyone to snicker. Dally turned around and flipped us all off before continue his walk. He ended up settling down by a tree and we all went back to socializing. I noticed Rachel get up and beckon Ponyboy to follow but the babies soon distracted me.

"Who's a little precious baby? You are!" Jena cooed at Patrick.

"Aren't they going to get hungry Jena?" Angela asked, looking at the babies.

"Well..."

"Get away from me with those grubby little fingers!" Emily yelled from across the park. We all look up at Emily running like hell as Two-Bit chased after her, his hands covered with mud.

"You can't run forever!" He laughed as she dodged him.

"YOU ARE NOT GOING TO TOUCH ME!" She screamed as she ran past a tree, which Two-Bit subsequently ran into. He stumbled backwards and tripped on Dally's legs.

"What the hell Two-Bit?" He growled.

"Well maybe that knocked his brains in place so he won't be such an idiot." Emily said standing over him. She beckoned Angela over and she quickly got up to join them.

"Good luck with that. He's taken worse hits than that." Steve commented, nudging Sodapop and smiling. Angela kneeled down near Two-Bit and from what I could tell he seemed fine. Dally tried to readjust himself against the tree but just sneered.

"It's starting to get dark babe. We should go home before the fireworks start." Sodapop said, buckling Mary into her seat.

"Yeah, we don't want them scared before bedtime." Jena nodded, handing Patrick off to Soda.

"Well good night you four." I said as Jena gave me and Steve a goodbye kiss.

"Happy Fourth of July everyone!" She called to everyone and they all waved back.

"I'll tell you if you missed anything." Steve said as he went to join to rest of the gang.

"Rachel? Ponyboy?" I looked back over at Angela who looked at the tree, her hands on her hips. _What are they doing now?_ I got up and started walking. I followed her gaze and noticed two pairs of legs dangling from a branch. _Now this will be good. _"What are you doing?"

"Hanging around." Rachel responded, swinging her legs around so she now hung upside down. Angela shook her head and Rachel got down with Ponyboy following.

"And you?" She asked, looking forward to his answer.

"Monkey see, monkey do." Ponyboy smiled and shrugged. As the words left his mouth, the first firework went off with a thunderous boom. Everyone, including myself, jumped as the colors seemed to rain down across the sky. We all stood in awe as the beautiful light show rained above us.

"God bless America!" I shouted, as I heard the National Anthem beginning to play in the distance.


	27. A Walk in the Sunset

**April 18, 1971**

Johnny POV

I made my way down to the girls house to see if Angela had any time. When I was about twenty five feet away, I saw Rachel walking down the steps.

"Hey Rachel." I called and she waved back

"Hey Johnny. Whatcha doing here?" She asked as I walked up next to her.

"I was wondering if Angela was home."

"She's out. Em and I convinced her to go to the store since we don't have any food and Em said she was going to starve. She won't be back for a while." I tried to suppress my disappointment and nodded my head.

"Okay then. So where are you heading?"

"Gonna catch a movie with Ponyboy." She smiled as she started walking. I could just see them sharing a Pepsi and popcorn with Pony's arm around her. _They are such a cute couple._

"Need me to join you?" I asked and she stopped.

"No, but you can if you want."

"I ain't got nothing better to do." I said as I walked beside her. "So what are you doing home?"

"What do you mean?" She asked confused.

"Angela told me that you decided to live at college."

"Oh yeah. But we have a break for the holiday so I came home." She explained.

"All right. Is it strange being away from home for college? Or is it exciting?" I asked after a minute.

"A little of both. It was a little tough not being able to wake up, walk to the kitchen, and make breakfast but it's kind of thrilling to be away from Ang as that mom figure." I nodded my head. "Why did you ask?"

"Well I've never been away from anyone in the gang for long periods." I admitted. "Plus up until that camping trip I'd never been away from my neighborhood before."

"I never realized that." She said.

"So what movie are you going to see?" I inquired to change the subject.

"I'm not sure. Ponyboy told me it would be the first movie on the marque. I trust it'll be good."

"Nice."

"Have you ever gone to the movies with Ang? She never tells me what you do." I smiled, grateful for Angela's privacy.

"Yeah, one time we went to see _Oliver!_ since it was my favorite book."

"I think I remember her mentioning that actually." We soon got into a rhythm as we walked, the spring sun beginning to set to our right.

"I always thought about writing Ponyboy a short story about the sunset and how it's the same wherever you see it." She said, looking over at the sherbet colored clouds.

"He'd really like that. Ponyboy's told me countless times about how he's been nearly hypnotized by sunsets."

"Thanks. I can use that for my story." She smiled, taking out a small pad of paper and jotting her idea down. I looked back up and spotted the movie theater. _Diamonds Are Forever._ _James Bond is always good to catch._ I also spotted Ponyboy outside the ticket stand, his hair slicked back for the date.

"Well thanks for walking with me Johnny." Rachel said as we walked up. Ponyboy gave her a quick peck and nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"Anytime. You know maybe Angela and I could hang out with you two before you head back to school. Not as a parent figure that is." Rachel laughed slightly then thought about it.

"Like a double date?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"I wouldn't mind that." Rachel said quickly looking at Ponyboy.

"Yeah that would work. We can ask Ang about it when I drop you back at home." He agreed putting his arm over Rachel's shoulders. I smiled and they smiled back.

"Well you enjoy the movie, but don't tell me about it. I might surprise Angela later and head down here myself." I shook hands with Ponyboy and waved bye to Rachel as they headed into the theater together. _Such a cute couple._


	28. Lunch Break

**October 7, 1970**

Darry POV

"All right! Group D, time for your lunch. Be back by 1:45." The boss called through his megaphone. I put my gloves on the table by my tools and grabbed my jacket. It was blazing on the roof but I would get cold fast as I went to town.

"Darrell, you joining us?" Jack called as he and some other guys started walking.

"Naw. You go ahead." Jack waved goodbye and they went of. I headed toward town and spotted the diner. _Rover's_.

I opened the door and the bell chimed. The hostess smiled and took me to my regular booth. I glanced at the menu to see if there was anything new.

"Hello sir, welcome to _Rover's_. How are you doing today?" A chipper voice said next to me. I looked up at the waitress. I'd never seen her before. She appeared young, the apron band tied in the front and her shirt a little longer than the other ladies.

"I'm fine. Could I have a coffee, the Club Sandwich, and fries?" I said.

"I guess you've been here before." She giggled slightly.

"You could say that. What about you?"

"I just started working here this week."

"I thought the owner didn't hire anyone under twenty?"

"Well I just turned twenty-one. Plus I have family here so I could have started working even earlier." I smiled slightly at her confidence and she smiled back. "How did you know the age to apply?"

"I tried to get my first job here, but that was eight years ago."

"So you're twenty-seven now?

"Twenty-six."

"All righty then. So you'll have coffee, sandwich and fries. Will that be all?" She asked taking my menu.

"Yes, but it might help if you write it down." I said handing her the pad and pen she set on the table.

"Oh silly me." She said smiling. "By the way my name's Alexandra if you need anything else."

"Thanks. I'm Darrell by the way." I'm not sure why I introduced myself, but it felt necessary.

"You're welcome." She turned and headed to the kitchen, moving some strands of her blonde hair behind her ears.

I fiddled with my jacket slightly as I waited for Alexandra to return. I looked out the window at the wind blowing some loose papers near the ground. I heard someone walking and ice tumble in a glass. Before I knew it I was wet and freezing.

"Oh my Lord, I'm so sorry!" Someone said behind me. I looked over at Alexandra shuffling through her apron and pulling out a handful of napkins while balancing her drink tray. I took off my soaking jacket and took some of the napkins.

"Oh it's fine." I replied, trying to wipe myself off.

"I guess that's one way to clean a table." She laughed, wiping the table with a rag. "You'll warm up soon. I started a fresh batch of coffee." I looked up and she smiled at me.

"Thanks." She finished serving the family near me and then came back with my coffee. Her eyes twinkled as she handed me my food and we talked a bit more about the happenings around the town.

"Here's your check." She looked at my shirt that was still wet. "Sorry again about that."

"It's no problem. I'll dry off at work." I said, disappointed I'd have to return to the flaming hot roof.

"All right then. Have a good day." I took out my wallet as I calculated the tip. _$6.30 so $1.25 regular tip_. I set out two bucks for her. I picked up my jacket and started out for the door.

"See you tomorrow Darrell?" Alexandra asked behind me. I turned around as I put my hand on the door and she smiled.

"Probably." I smiled back, the door ringing as I pushed it open.


	29. Lunch Date

**December 15, 1971**

Darry POV

The bells tinkled as I walked into Rovers. The hostess nodded at me and I took my seat at my usual booth.

"Hello, Darrell." Alexandra said as she came over to my table.

"Hello Alexandra." I replied. She slid in the booth right across from me with a sandwich, soup, and coke.

"You can call me Allie." Alexandra told me.

"And basically all my friends and family refer to me as Darry." I said, hoping she would get the hint.

"Darry? How did you get that nickname?" Allie laughed lightly.

"My youngest brother had a hard time saying Darrell when he was little, so he shortened it to Darry, and it just stuck." I shrugged. "So what are you doing here anyway?"

"I took my lunch break so we could eat together." Allie explained, brushing her bangs out of her face.

"Together?" Allie smiled and took a sip of her coke as a waitress came, setting food in front of me. _Coffee, Club Sandwich, and fries._ I look up at Allie, her smile even wider.

"You've been ordering that for weeks now Darry. I have your order memorized." She giggled. I nodded my head and ate one of the fries.

"So do you have any siblings?" I asked nonchalantly.

"I have three older brothers."

"Three?"

"Yeah." She shrugged and blew on her soup. "What about you?"

"I have two younger brothers. One got married about two years ago and now I have a niece and nephew."

"That's so sweet. My one brother just got engaged." Allie replied.

"Good for him."

"I'm very excited for him."

"I can imagine." We continued talking for about half an hour and split a slice of warm apple pie with a scoop of ice cream.

"Oh drat. Half an hour isn't enough time to talk." Allie sighed, starting to pick up the dishes.

"It really isn't." I agreed pulling out some bills for my meal. An old receipt fell on the table, blank side up, and I paused.

"Did I forget a pen again?" Allie asked looking over.

"No. Everything's fine." I said trying not to scribble on the crumpled sheet of paper. _549-8…_ I folded the paper, putting the bills on top of my new receipt and the old one underneath. Allie walked over to the register and started counting the change for the meal. She unfolded the paper and glanced over, her shoulders bouncing slightly.

"Thanks for the date." She says handing me the change.

"Of course." I winked, taking my jacket. She giggled again, blushing slightly. I smiled and turned out of the diner, the only thing in my mind being Allie's cute giggle.


End file.
